Chasing Perfection
by Sweet Mercy
Summary: Sequel to Life, Love and Everything in Between. Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship. Sirius is not happy. SLASH, MPREG, SSHP, SBRL
1. Life Goes On

**Rating:** M 

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

_This fic contains pregnant men...as in men having babies. Please don't read it if you hate that sort of thing._

* * *

**Chapter One: Life Goes On**

Harry stumbled out of the fireplace rather ungracefully, trying to keep quiet yet giggling like a naughty schoolgirl. He knew he shouldn't have had that last bottle of wine his lover (yes, his _lover!_ – he still couldn't quite believe it sometimes!) had brought out from the kitchen, but what was life if you weren't going to live it to the full?

He took a moment to steady himself before venturing out into the softly lit hallway; if he had been sober enough he would have realised that that in itself was rather odd – Sirius and Remus never left the lights on. But, as it was, this little oddity went by unnoticed has he began to climb the stairs and head towards his bedroom.

He had just returned from yet another visit to Severus' house. Ever since they had returned to the country following their romantic getaway, they had both been reduced to sneaking around in order to spend time with one another as their relationship was still a secret.

The holiday had been a trip of a lifetime. Rome had been incredible. As well as seeing all the famous sites such as The Colosseum, The Pantheon, The Forum, The Trevi Fountain, The Vatican and The Sistine Chapel, Harry had gotten a lot of 'retail therapy' done. Rome was just bursting with fashion labels and on their trip to see the Spanish Steps, Harry hadn't been able to resist the designer shops and boutiques of Via Condotti. He'd seen the names "Gucci" and "Prada" and that had been it; he'd always wanted to see what all the fuss was about with these muggle labels and, now that he had Severus to spoil as well as himself, the time was perfect.

The nightlife in Rome was amazing as well. Every night was a party night in Campo de' Fiori. It took very little to get Harry drunk but he hadn't been worried; he had his Severus to take care of him now. Severus had even allowed himself to enjoy a few drinks as well. With the friendly atmosphere, loud music, and drunken bodies, Severus had found it very easy to let go and have fun, much to Harry's amusement; the morning after a good nights drinking had always found them in interesting positions in bed.

Next, they had travelled to New York. Harry had always wanted to go New York and now he had the perfect someone to take him. They'd booked into a fancy hotel and had gone off exploring the city, taking in all it had to offer. Harry's breath had been swept away when he'd looked out at the city from atop of the Empire State Building. He could only imagine what it would all look like at Christmas time and vowed that he would make sure to re-visit the city during the winter. Of course, Harry had also done a little retail therapy there as well. After all, you couldn't go to New York and _not_ go shopping!

After the 'big apple' came Paris, the City of Romance. After a spending their days exploring the city, visiting such sites as the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, and many of the museums and theatres, Harry had dearly enjoyed being wined and dined by Severus whilst sitting alongside the River Seine at night. They had stayed in a marvellous suite in the George V hotel during their stay and had enjoyed a romantic meal at Le Grand Vefour on their last night in Paris. As soon as he had stepped foot in the hotel and restaurants in Paris, he was immensely glad he had bought those Armani suits back in New York.

It really had been a trip of a lifetime. And it killed Harry that he couldn't boast about it to anyone.

Everyone was under the impression that he had gone away by himself, to some place warm and relaxing, to have a break from everything and to enjoy some 'me' time. He wished he could set them straight – he wanted more than anything to shout to the world that he was in love. But he couldn't. Not yet anyway.

Severus and Harry had decided that, when the time seemed right (in other words, when Sirius was in a very happy mood, preferably drunk so that he wouldn't be too bothered) then they would let their secret out. But in the meantime they had to be extremely careful.

They had been on Holiday for three weeks, having spent a week at each destination, and the time away had done them the world of good. But what pleased Harry the most was the change in Severus.

His ex-professor – once a reserved and bitter man – now seemed to be a lot more comfortable with sharing. Indeed, during their holiday Harry had seen more of the kind and caring Severus he knew existed beneath those robes and that sneer. True, there had been times in Rome and New York and Paris when Severus had been the withdrawn man Harry had known growing up at Hogwarts, but the more Harry talked to him and showed him how much he trusted him, the more Severus loosened up. Harry understood that he was still nervous about entering into a relationship so he made it clear to him that he didn't expect anything. After this had been said, Severus had relaxed. Harry knew how hard it must be for Severus to put his trust in someone and so Harry was patient with him.

The holiday was possibly one of the best things that had ever happened to Harry. Not only had it given him a chance to see sites he had only ever dreamed of, it had been a real eye-opener. Harry now knew what he wanted out of life. He'd struggled, he'd fought, and he'd saved the world and now was the time for him to have his fun.

But even though he'd enjoyed prancing round Paris dressed in designer labels and even though he'd tasted what upper-class life was all about, splashing his cash here, there, and everywhere, he _much_ preferred what he had back home. True enough, he wouldn't pass up an offer to go touring again, but it had all made him realise what he truly wanted – to be close to the man he loved and to be loved in return. That truly had been the highlight of his holiday.

* * *

Harry entered the kitchen the morning after and slid into a wooden chair. The room was crammed full of pots and pans and the shelves were almost overflowing with cups. But despite the clutter, the kitchen was pretty clean and a faint smell of lemons hung in the air. The notice board over on the far wall, which had previously held notes about Death Eater activity, was now full of smiling photo's of members of The Order of the Phoenix.

Sirius, who had lowered his newspaper when Harry had come in, sat opposite him and Remus was at the other end, busy scribbling something down on a piece of tattered parchment. Tummy grumbling, Harry leaned forwards and grabbed a piece of toast from the plate in the middle.

"Where were you last night?" asked Sirius, looking over at his godson.

"Hm?"

"Last night," he said again. "You weren't here so where were you?"

"I went out," said Harry with a shrug.

"Where?"

"I don't have to tell you guys everything."

"We know Harry," said Remus, stepping in before Sirius could respond, "We were just worried about you. We didn't know you'd gone out."

"I wasn't aware I had to let you both know," he said. Ever since Harry had returned from his holiday, Sirius and Remus (ever the protective duo) had noticed that Harry seemed to be keeping something from them. He dearly wished he could just tell them he was in love but he knew how they'd both react, so instead he'd settled for acting the troublesome teen.

"What time did you get back?" Sirius asked. "We waited up 'til half one then went to bed. We left the light on for you."

"Thanks," he muttered. "And I got back around three-ish I think. It was late."

"Well in future I think we'd both appreciate it if you'd – "

"Sirius," Remus interrupted, "Harry's a grown man now. We have to respect his privacy."

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright," he said. "Sorry Harry."

"That's quite alright Sirius," he smiled.

"Good," said Remus. "Now that that's all been cleared up, I'm going shopping this afternoon. Now, I already have the basics written down here but is there anything else you two will be needing?"

"I'm almost out of toothpaste," said Harry; Remus wrote it down.

"Chocolate," said Sirius. "And we need some more strawberries. Oh, and whipped cream as well. And we seem to have run out of lubricant. And a few more packets of condoms wouldn't go a miss either."

"Is it all?" Remus cheeks were starting to redden and Harry hid a laugh.

"Well, I _could_ ask you to buy me a new dildo but I figured I shouldn't say such things in front of Harry."

"Thank you, Sirius, for sparing me the pain of having to hear that."

"Not a problem kiddo. Oh and speaking of kids, a letter came for you whilst you were still in bed. I think it's from Ron."

He poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice then reached for the letter. He saw that it was addressed to him in Ron's untidy scrawl and opened it. He hadn't heard from his friends since the end of the school year, having told them that he was going on holiday and he was only to be contacted in an emergency as he wanted to relax and enjoy himself, away from the worries of home-life. He'd meant to write to them when he'd return to the country but he'd been so loved-up with Severus that it had completely slipped his mind.

Taking a sip of his juice he looked down at the letter.

_Harry_

_You'll never guess what! Hermione and I are getting married!!!_

As if on cue, Harry promptly started to choke on his drink.

_I can't believe it. After all those years of just wanting to be with her, here we are, engaged! Harry, mate, this feeling…it's unbelievable! Merlin, I can't even describe it! I'm just so happy! I mean, I love her so much and I would do anything for her. Now you of all people should know how I'm not one to talk about my feelings and such but I honestly can't wait to start a family with her (and, of course, you will be godfather to all of our children – I thought I should just warn you of that in advance)._

_I suppose you want to know how I proposed, right? All I can say is that it was completely spur of the moment. I mean, yeah, I'd thought about asking her before but I always wanted to wait a few years before I did. But the other night we just went out for a meal and we had such a good time. I was just sat there, looking at her, and I realised that she really was the one; the one I wanted to marry and spend the rest of my life with. So on the way home I just asked her! Just like that! It wasn't romantic at all but who cares? She just got this huge smile on her face and said yes! It didn't even matter that I hadn't gotten her a ring!_

_And speaking of rings…mate, I need your help choosing one for her. She's my fiancé and she deserves a ring and, well, you know what my tastes are like. I don't know what's a good-looking ring. So you'll help me yeah? Today at lunch in The Leaky Cauldron? Plus it'd be a good chance for you to tell me how your holiday went! Hermione's convinced you went with this mystery boyfriend of yours…_

_Anyway, I better be going. I'll see you later then yeah? _

_Ron_

Harry stared at the letter, a smile on his face. He'd always known those two would end up married some day and, even though this was a lot sooner than he'd thought it would happen, he was really made up for them. He just hoped Ron didn't mess things up; he was right when he'd said he and expressing feelings didn't mix.

Putting aside the letter, he finished the rest of his drink and returned to the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead.

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**A/N:** Hello again! lol, I don't really have anything to say apart from 'please review' so...please review!


	2. Dark Lords

**Rating: **M 

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter doesn't really get anything done. It's more like a long interlude. And I haven't had time to check through it for mistakes, but if I didn't post it now then I don't now how long you would have been waiting.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Dark Lords**

Harry met Ron as planned in the Leaky Cauldron at lunchtime and they went through to Diagon Alley together. The little winding street was packed full of witches and wizards of all ages, bustling about doing their shopping. Although this posed a problem for Harry (he couldn't go anywhere in the magical world without being spotted and asked for an autograph!) he was happy to see Diagon Alley busy once more. During the war, people had avoided going out in public as much as they could; Harry remembered what Diagon Alley had been like then – most of the shops had been closed and boarded up and the few people who had ventured out on the street were morbid and fearful as they hurried from one shop to the next. It was good to see that everything was back to how it should be.

"Where do you think we should look first?" asked Ron, eyeing up the nearby shops.

"I think there's a jewellery shop across from _Ollivander's_," Harry said and they set off down the cobbled street, taking care to stay away from _Quality Quidditch Supplies_ so they weren't tempted to buy anything they didn't need.

Unsurprisingly, they were stopped more than a few times by witches and wizards wanting to congratulate Harry for defeating the Dark Lord. He was slightly annoyed by the way they continued to call him "You-Know-Who" even though he was dead, but he choose not to comment on it, keeping conversation to a minimum. Ron, however, was a different story. He too was being congratulated for his part in the war and many people were asking for his autograph – and he was loving it. Harry watched, amused, as he posed for photographs and shook hands with the many people swarming around them.

Eventually they were free to move on and they set off once more down the busy street.

"That's been happening all summer," Ron told Harry with a grin. "Everywhere Hermione and I go, people come over and start treating us like celebrities. It's happening with almost everyone in the Order! I tell you," he said, "I could get used to this."

"It'll get annoying after a while," said Harry.

"Maybe for you," he said, "But I love having fans! Oh, speaking of which, have you seen Dumbledore lately?"

"No," said Harry. "Why?"

"Because he has your fan mail."

Ron grinned at the look on Harry's face and laughed.

"We've all been getting it but you could fill the Great Hall with the amount you've gotten! It all started piling up back at Grimmauld Place. I mean, the living room was practically buried in letters! In the end there was just too much so Dumbledore diverted them all to Hogwarts."

"Nobody said anything to me about it," said Harry, shaking an image of Sirius and Remus swimming in letters from his head.

"They didn't want to bother you with it all," Ron told him. "And once you see the amount of letters waiting for you, you'll understand why. And it's not just letters either; people have been sending all sorts of things – photo's, underwear, marriage proposals, you name it. It'll take years to get through them all. Anyway," said Ron, coming to a stop, "I'm just nipping to the bank. Wait here."

And as Harry waited he began to panic slightly. From what Ron had said, it sounded like there were thousands and thousands of letters and…things…waiting for him back at Hogwarts. Did people expect a reply from him? Would they be hurt if he didn't? Surely they must understand that he was a busy man and that he couldn't dedicate the rest of his life to answering fan mail? Maybe he could hire someone to answer them all for him. Or maybe there was a spell that could help. As much as he didn't want to answer them, he didn't want to hurt anybody's feelings. But what the hell were you supposed to say to someone who had sent you their underwear!?

Lost in his daze he almost didn't see Ron return.

"Ready?" Ron asked happily, skipping down the steps towards him. Harry was about to reply but the sudden look on Ron's face made him stop. Ron's face had fallen and he was staring at something across the street. Harry turned and followed his friend's gaze.

"Oh, great," said Ron moodily, "That's just what I wanted to see; Snape."

Indeed, Harry could see Severus Snape across from them and he had to fight hard to keep the grin off his face. He'd just seen Severus the night before but that did nothing to stop the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach at the sight of his lover.

"Come on," Harry said, "Lets go and say hi."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Of course. Come on."

"But he's no longer our teacher," Ron griped.

"I know that," said Harry.

"And that means we no longer have to put up with him," Ron reminded his friend but Harry was already making his way through the crowd. Ron reluctantly followed.

Now in plain view of the man, Harry wanted nothing more than to throw his arms around him and snog the life out of him. As it was, he settled for a cheery "Hello Professor."

Severus paused when he heard Harry's voice and turned to face him. He was dressed in his usual dark robes, although these ones didn't have as high a collar as his professor ones did, and he had a shopping bag in his hand with the Apothecary's logo on it. Harry mentally rolled his eyes – the man spent too much time on his work.

For a moment, Harry could have sworn he'd seen the mans eyes light up but a second later he was convinced he'd imagined it.

"Potter," said Snape in a bored voice; "Weasley." He acknowledged them each with a slight nod.

"How are you?" asked Harry, ignoring Ron's protesting glare.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Is this your feeble attempt at making conversation or do you actually want to know?"

"I want to know," Harry smiled. "I haven't seen you since…" _last night_ "…the end of school. How are things?"

Severus hid a smirk. "Things are fine Mr Potter." Then, after a pause, he said "I suppose the polite thing to do would be to ask how you yourself have been."

"I've been good," he smiled. "I went on this amazing holiday and had so much fun. What about you?"

"Oh, the usual," he said, "Donned my Death Eater robes and killed a few muggles. Nothing out of the ordinary." Harry smirked – he knew that was for Ron's benefit.

"You should come over sometime," Harry said. "Maybe we could all have dinner together." That was code for 'Please come see me tonight' and Harry hoped Severus got the message.

"Yes, because I have nothing better to do with my time," he replied sarcastically; Harry took that as 'I would love to.'

"Right, well, we'd better get going so we'll leave you to your shopping. See you around Professor."

Once Severus was out of hear shot, Ron turned to Harry. "Have you completely lost it? What were you doing, inviting Snape to dinner? You're mental!"

"Oh, Ron, I was just being polite," he said with smile; "The man did save my life after all."

"And you saved _his_," Ron pointed out. "You don't owe him a thing."

"Has it ever occurred to you that there's more to Professor Snape than meets the eye? That maybe he could actually be a decent person if you got to know him? That deep down he's just like everyone else?"

"Not really, no."

* * *

Harry excused himself from dinner early that evening and went up to his room to hopefully await Severus' visit. He knew it was risky to have his lover come to Grimmauld Place but Sirius was beginning to grow suspicious whenever Harry disappeared, not returning until the early hours of the morning.

Not that he wasn't grateful (he _was_ touched that Sirius cared so much), but he just didn't understand why Sirius was being so protective. Harry would be 18 in a few days and he was more than capable of looking after himself; he'd killed the Dark Lord and dodged numerous Death Eater attacks, not to mention that he was now in a mature, loving relationship – he'd never felt more grown up.

Perhaps Sirius just wanted to take the best possible care of him to make up for not having his real parents around? Or perhaps he wanted a child of his own to look after? Whatever the reason, it had to stop sometime – he was an adult now and could very much stand on his own two feet. Most of the time.

Harry sat down, kicking the heels of his feet against the side of his bed, waiting. His stomach ached, which wasn't all that surprising considering how fast he'd wolfed down his food. He ignored it and looked around his room; clothes littered the floor and he had yet to put away his old school books and equipment that sat piled in the far corner by the window. Remus kept on at him to clean up after himself but Harry found that a room truly wasn't a normal room if something wasn't out of place.

He must have been sat on his bed for at least ten minutes when there was a noise and he looked up to see a figure emerging from his fireplace. He watched with a grin on his face as Severus stepped gracefully into the room, sweeping the soot off his robes. The man then straightened up and looked around the room.

"This place is a tip," he said, looking distastefully around the messy room. Harry smiled.

"Severus!" he said, jumping up, "I've missed you so much."

Severus turned his attentions away from the room. "You saw me just this afternoon."

"I know," said Harry, wrapping his arms tight around his lover, "But we were surrounded by people so I wasn't able to hug you. I miss hugging you."

"You hugged me last night," he pointed out.

"I know. But you can never have too many hugs."

Severus pulled away with a smile and cupped Harry's face with one hand. When Severus looked at Harry like that, with love and admiration, it was very easy for him to forget that they _weren't_ the only two people in the world. He reached up on tiptoe and placed a kiss to Severus' lips. It was only meant to be an innocent kiss but when their lips touched a fire flickered to life inside of Harry and he found he couldn't pull away. He brought his arms up and wrapped them tight around Severus' neck, clutching at his lover's hair somewhat roughly. Severus gasped in shock but didn't pull away when Harry forced his impatient tongue passed those soft, parted lips.

"You're keen," Severus noted once Harry ran out of breath; he was looking at him with hungry, eager eyes and a glance down at his lover's body told Harry that the eyes weren't the only things that were eager.

With a smirk, Harry snaked a hand down Severus' body in one slow motion. When he felt the hardening cock in his hand he squeezed. Severus gasped.

The look in Harry's eye told Severus it was going to be a long, eventful night.

* * *

Harry skipped down to breakfast feeling a little queasy but in high spirits the next morning and took his usual seat at the kitchen table. He couldn't get his mind to stop replaying his and Severus' activities the night before. He didn't know what had come over him – he'd seen Severus and he'd just wanted to be near him, close to him. He loved the intimacy they shared together; it was like a whole different sort of magic existed just for them. Harry was really starting to believe that he truly could grow old with Severus Snape.

And the sex was great. True, they hadn't branched out into more 'adventurous' territories just yet, but Harry was slowly starting to believe that he had a hidden kinky side. For the time being, however, he was content with what they had – he didn't want to ruin anything by suggesting they try something different.

Was this what being in a proper relationship was all about? he wondered to himself. Before Severus, Harry had hardly ever thought about sex, but now that they were together he found himself almost constantly thinking about it and ways he could improve. Was that normal? Or was he being a stupid hormonal teenager again? He had to quickly remind himself that he _was_ only 17.

He shook his head clear and reached for the jar of jam. When he saw Sirius and Remus exchange a look with each other, he stopped.

"What?" Harry asked. Had he and Severus remembered silencing charms last night? He couldn't remember. Had they even locked the door?

But it soon became apparent that Harry didn't have anything to worry about. Remus had just reached for something on the table. He held out an envelope.

"This just came for you a few minutes ago. We think it's your N.E.W.T results."

Harry looked at both of them before slowly reaching out and taking the envelope from Remus. He'd completely and utterly forgotten about them.

Biting his lip (and horribly aware that Sirius and Remus were staring at him) he looked down at the letter.

_Harry James Potter has achieved:_

_Charms - O_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts - O_

_Herbology - E_

_Potions - E_

_Transfiguration – E_

A grin slowly spread itself across Harry's face and he passed the letter to the other two.

"Oh, Harry, well done!" Remus beamed at him. "That's fantastic!"

"Not a mark below an E!" Sirius noted with a huge smile. "You can be an Auror!"

"I wonder what Hermione and Ron have got," he said, taking the letter back and putting it safely in his pocket. He could just imagine the look of glee on Hermione's face if she'd received straight O's.

He was just tugging back into his breakfast when a delivery owl flew through the open window and dropped off the morning's paper. He was going to ignore it but the big, bold title caught his eye.

_**A NEW DARK LORD?**_

_Harry Potter is the boy who saved us all from evil. His time at Hogwarts is legendary. He grew up defending us all from dark forces and he's battled his way through Hell. He's the courageous, young man who dealt the final, deadly blow to the Dark Lord. He's our hero, our saviour. But could this be the start of something sinister?_

_The Dark Lord, as we all know, was a very powerful, very dark wizard and he was extremely difficult to kill. Many brave witches and wizards in the past have tried to kill him, only to fail in horrible circumstances. It quickly became apparent to all that it would take an equally, perhaps stronger, force to kill him._

_At the age of just 15 months, Harry Potter survived the killing curse and we all celebrated it as a miracle. Harry grew up and at the mere age of 17 defeated the Dark Lord with a killing curse. We celebrated another miracle. But in the jubilation that followed, we seem to have overlooked one thing. In killing the Dark Lord, Harry Potter has revealed to us all just how powerful he really is. _

_If a person exists who is more powerful than the Dark Lord then shouldn't we be worried? _

_During the final battle, Harry Potter had shown to us all that he knows the dark arts. He fired the most unforgivable curse of them all at the age of 17. If he can kill a Dark Lord then what else is he capable of?_

_What is there stopping him from turning on society and following in the Dark Lord's footsteps? We know he has the power and we know he can use dark magic. Yet we as a whole celebrate the fact that he has the power to kill._

_Throughout this summer, Mr Potter has hardly been seen at all. On the night of the celebration ball at Hogwarts School, Mr Potter wasn't in attendance. Does he think himself above the rest of us? Or is he planning something?_

_The Daily Prophet has revealed in the past that Harry Potter has the ability to talk to snakes – a trait he shared with You-Know-Who. As most of us already know, the ability to converse with snakes is considered a mark of a truly dark wizard._

_Whilst the Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour, refuses to take action against what could be a raising threat, we at The Daily Prophet, promise to investigate matters further._

"Oh, for the love of…!" he threw the paper down on the table. "Those ungrateful swines! You do something nice, you give to the community, and this is the thanks you get?"

"Dumbledore thought this would happen sooner or later," said Remus, scanning the front page.

"I can't believe they would say something like that though! Dumbledore's killed a Dark Lord before! _And_ he was the only one Voldemort was afraid of! Why target me and not him?"

"Because Dumbledore's proved time and time again that he's very much against the dark arts," said Sirius. "They wouldn't dare question Dumbledore's allegiance for fear of being sent to a mental ward. Everyone loves Dumbledore."

"But haven't I proved that I'm not on the dark side? I mean, the amount of times I have – " he cut himself of and took a deep breath. "You know what?" he said, "I'm not even gonna bother myself with it. It's just stupid."

"I think that's the best thing to do," Remus agreed. "And I'm sure people will see it as rubbish."

"They better," muttered Harry. "Anyway, like I said, I'm not going to let it get to me. It's my birthday in a couple of days. And then there's Bill and Fleur's wedding we have to go to."

"Oh yeah," Sirius remembered, "I'd forgotten about the wedding. When is it?"

"It's next week Sirius," Remus said, hands on hips. "I hope you've remembered to get them a present 'cause I'm not going to bail you out if you've forgotten."

"Well, what with Harry's birthday coming up, and then this wedding…how am I supposed to remember all these presents?"

"You've not got them anything?"

"I don't know what presents I'm supposed to give people who are getting married!" he said indignantly.

"What did you get Lily and James for their wedding?" Remus asked.

Sirius grinned. "Do you really want to know?"

Harry decided it wasn't safe to hear anymore. Leaving his toast (he'd lost his appetite) he stood up.

"Right," he said, "I'm off to see Ron and Hermione."

"Will you be gone long?" Remus asked, ignoring the silly grin still plastered on Sirius' face.

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen Hermione in a while so she'll probably want to sit and talk for ages."

"Ok, well, don't stay out to late. Even though that article was a load of rubbish, you're still bound to get some idiot who takes it seriously."

"Relax," he smiled. "It's not like they're gonna kill me. I am the next Dark Lord after all." And with that, he waved them goodbye and made his way to the living room to floo himself to The Burrow.

* * *

**A/N:** I don't know when I can post next. I'm going staying with my brother over the easter holidays. I'll have access to the internet but not to microsoft word. Sucks. But I'll try and find a way around it. Thanks for reviewing! x 


	3. Fever

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Three: Fever**

The moment he arrived in the living room of The Burrow he was greeted with a very excitable squeal from Hermione. She was jumping up and down in the middle of the room with Ginny and Ron looking on in amusement. In her hand she held what could only be her exam results. Harry grinned.

"So it was good news I take it?" he asked.

"What else could make her squeal like that?" Ginny answered with a smirk. Luckily, neither Ron nor Hermione heard.

"Oh Harry, it's so good to see you again!" Hermione squeaked, turning to him. "What did you get? What did you get?"

"Calm down 'Mione," he laughed, taking the empty space on the sofa next to Ginny. "I got two O's and three E's."

"Well done Harry!" she beamed. "What were the 'Outstandings' in?"

"Defence and Charms. Ron, what about you?" he asked as he turned to look at his other friend. "What did you get?"

"One O, three E's, and one A," he smiled. "The O was in Transfiguration and the A was for Potions. I surprise myself sometimes. I mean, an 'Outstanding' in Transfiguration? Me?"

"I told you revision pays off!" Hermione chimed in. "Aren't you glad now that I made you do all that work?" Ron just rolled his eyes.

"I gather you got top marks then?" Harry asked her; it couldn't have been more obvious.

"Straight O's! I can't believe I actually did that! I was so sure I'd failed Ancient Runes. And I was so nervous during the practical Potions exam. And Defence Against the Dark Arts wasn't any better and Charms was just – "

"Look on the bright side," said Ron, cutting Hermione off before she could go on further, "You got straight O's. You can't do any better than that."

"True," she sighed, then smiled brightly. "Oh, I'm so happy for all of us! We're officially fully qualified wizards! How exciting is that?"

"Very," said Ron, looking at Hermione as if she were mad. "Life doesn't get more exciting than this."

"There's no need to be sarcastic Ronald," she said, noting his tone of voice. "Harry's excited to step out into the professional world of work, aren't you Harry?"

"Er…yeah," he said, not sure what to say. "Can't wait to get out there and start earning the money." He decided it was best to change the subject before both he and Ron (and most probably Ginny as well) got a lecture on being responsible adults. "So how's your summer been so far?"

If possible, an even bigger grin spread across her face and she held up her right hand.

"I believe Ron's told you the good news already?" she beamed.

"Yeah, congratulations!" he smiled. "I'm happy for you both."

"Thank you," she smiled. "Oh, and thank you for helping him pick out a ring. We both know how bad his tastes can be."

"Hey!" said Ron indignantly, "What's wrong with my taste?"

"Your room is bright orange," Ginny pointed out. Harry silently agreed; it didn't take a fashion expert to see that the orange went terribly with the trademark Weasley hair. And bright orange wasn't exactly easy on the eye, especially first thing in the morning. In fact, just thinking about it was starting to have a horrible effect on Harry's stomach.

"Only because the Chudley Cannons play in orange!" Ron was saying, "I'm just showing my colours."

"Yes, well, when we get a place together, you're going to leave the colour scheming up to me," said Hermione. "It's all going to be calming colours, like baby blue's and creams."

"Kill me now," Ron muttered.

Harry laughed. "I'm sure she'll let you put up a poster or two." Realising that the line of conversation had gone quite off course, Harry changed the subject back. "So apart from the engagement what else have you been up to?"

"Not much really," said Ron. "Mums been really busy helping Bill with last minute wedding arrangements, and Dads been at work most of the time, helping out with all the stuff that comes with catching the remaining Death Eaters."

Harry found himself shocked by that last piece of news. In all honesty, the fact that the Death Eaters were still out there hadn't even crossed his mind. It was kind of stupid really. Killing Voldemort didn't stop his supporters. It made sense that most of them had escaped capture.

"How's the Ministry doing with that?" he asked, feeling slightly guilty that he hadn't done anything to help. Hermione seemed to notice.

"They're not your responsibility Harry," she said firmly. "You've done more than enough and everyone knows that."

"That wasn't the impression I got from this morning's paper," he said.

"Just ignore that piece of trash," Ron said. "That's just the paper printing stuff. I'm sure once you get out you'll see that everyone else thinks its trash too. Mum said she was gonna write a letter of complaint to them."

"And you can bet she won't be the only one either," said Hermione. "The magical community thinks very highly of you Harry. No one is going to stand for the paper badmouthing you."

Feeling slightly cheered, he smiled and said "Thank you."

"So," said Hermione, "How was your holiday?"

"Oh yeah," said Ron, "I forgot to ask you about that yesterday. So did you have a nice time in…where is it you went?"

"Rome," said Harry. "And New York. And then Paris."

"Oh, how lovely," Hermione smiled. "I've always wanted to go to Rome. The history there is supposed to be amazing. Did you visit all the sites?"

"Yep," said Harry. "We went everywhere. I'm not even interested in history, but when you're Rome and you're surrounded by all these places it's really hard to _not_ take an interest."

"I'm really glad you had a good time," Hermione said. "You deserve it."

"Hang on," said Ron. "'_We_ went everywhere'?"

_Damn_, thought Harry. He hadn't even realised he'd slipped up.

What was he supposed to do now? Did he lie and make up some lame excuse? ('_Yeah, 'we'. Me and the other tourists.'_)? Or did he admit that he was in a relationship with someone? Should he tell them about Severus? What would Severus think if he did? They hadn't really discussed the idea of letting people know.

But Ron and Hermione were his best friends. They were supposed to be able to tell each other anything. But how would they react to something like that? His friends meant more to him than anyone else on Earth and he didn't want to ruin that by telling them something that they would probably disapprove of. But then again, they'd always stood by him no matter what.

His mind made up, Harry got to his feet. "I need to tell you guys something."

"Ok," said Ron, exchanging a look with Hermione. "You want to go up to my room?"

Harry nodded. Then he looked at Ginny apologetically. "No offence Gin," he said.

"None taken," she said, getting up. "I have to go and help Fred and George with something anyway. I'll see you later."

Once she'd gone, the three of them climbed the narrow staircase until they reached Ron's room on the top floor. His room, as they'd already established in conversation before, was the same as ever. The only noticeable difference were the photos he had pinned up that had been taken during their last year at Hogwarts. Most of them were of Ron and Hermione, but Harry popped up in a few of them, as did the rest of their fellow Gryffindors.

Hermione sat down on the edge of Ron's bed and looked overt at Harry.

"So what did you want to tell us?" she asked, sounding a little concerned.

He looked at the both of the, sat there, waiting. He really had been blessed with the best possible friends he could have asked for. He knew they wouldn't leave him. In fact, the idea of telling his friends was actually somewhat of a relief. It would be great if he could share his happiness with them.

_Here goes nothing_, he thought.

"I've been seeing someone."

"You have?" Ron sounded a little shocked.

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Hermione. "You know we're alright with you being gay – we wouldn't have judged you or anything."

"I know that," he said. "And that's not why I kept it from you. I didn't tell you because, well, we thought it best to keep it a secret. Just for a while though, until we'd gotten to know one another better."

"I guess I can understand that," said Ron, although he did look a little put out; Harry didn't blame him – he'd have been hurt if Ron had kept his relationship with Hermione from him.

"Is it that guy from the bar?" asked Hermione.

"What guy?" Harry asked, momentarily confused.

"That guy you danced with a while back. Remember? It made headlines? 'Potter's Secret Gay-Lover'?"

"Jake? I'd completely forgotten about him. No, Hermione, it's not."

"Who is it then? Is it someone from school?" Ron asked.

"Yes," said Harry. "It's most definitely someone from school."

"And how long have you two been together?" asked Hermione curiously.

"Er…" How long _had_ they been together? Did he count from when they'd had their first kiss? Or perhaps when they'd first started 'sort-of-dating'? Or did he count from when then started to officially date, just before the summer?

"I'm not sure," he said. "It's been up and down really."

"Oh," said Ron. "Well, who is he?"

"Harry?" Hermione spoke softly, "Is he the one who you were with when…and the one who, you know…"

"Got me pregnant?" For some reason he couldn't explain, Harry didn't have any trouble saying it.

Hermione nodded.

"Yeah. He is."

"But I thought you said he didn't want you," she said, sounding awkward. "You said it had all been a mistake."

"I know I did," said Harry; should he perhaps feel terrible that it hurt more to talk about his break up with Severus than it did about the miscarriage? "But it turns out we just got our wires crossed. We got back together just before the summer."

"Who is it?" Ron asked yet again.

"Are you sure it's what you want?" Hermione asked. "Are you happy with him? From what I gathered at the end of school, you seemed to really hate this guy for what he'd done."

"I know. But like I said, we'd just gotten things mixed up. We're ok now."

"Are you gonna tell us who this guy is or do we have to guess?" Ron asked.

Harry laughed a little. "I doubt you could ever guess."

This had the wrong effect on Ron. "Please don't tell me it's Malfoy."

"I'm not that stupid!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, then, who?"

"Professor Snape."

_That shut them up_, Harry thought in amusement. In fact, the only thing that was breaking the silence was the banging and clanging of the family ghoul in the attic above them. But just as he thought he better say something and start explaining, Ron burst out laughing.

"God! You had me there for a minute!" he laughed. "I was thinking 'Oh my God, he's finally gone crazy.' I mean, can you imagine if the two of you were really together! I can't believe I fell for that." Even Hermione managed a small smile.

For the next minute or so it was impossible to say anything to Ron, he was that hysterical with laughter. Finally though, after wiping tears from his eyes, he calmed down and looked at Harry.

"So who are you really dating?" he asked.

"Professor Snape."

He looked as if he was about to laugh again, but after catching the calm look on Harry's face, he just stared.

"Really?"

Harry nodded. "Yes," he said.

Ron exploded. "Oh my God. Harry! Why?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I really like him. And he's got that whole 'sexy professor' thing going on," he said, trying to lighten the things up.

"What 'sexy professor' thing? Harry, have you completely lost it? Snape, Harry! Professor Snape?"

"Severus isn't what you'd expect," Harry tried to explain. "He's got this really sweet vulnerable side to him and it's irresistible. We've been having so much fun together and we have a lot more in common than you'd think."

"_Severus?_"

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, I'm listening," he said. "I can't believe what I'm hearing but I'm listening."

"Why is it so hard to believe? It's not like I'm dating an alien or something."

"I beg to differ."

"Ron," he complained. "I really like him. And I think he really likes me too."

"You _'think'?_" asked Hermione, speaking for the first time since she'd heard the news.

"I _know_," he assured her. "Ok, so it's not the easiest of relationships. But what relationship is? We're both pretty new to this dating thing…we're just going with the flow." He stopped, and then said, "It'd really mean a lot to me if you guys could accept this."

"Harry, I…" Hermione trailed off, shaking her head in disbelief. Harry could only imagine what a shock it must be to them.

"Do you honestly want to be with him?" Ron asked. "You're not under some spell or anything are you?"

"Yes, I want to be with him, and no, there's no spell. Look, I know this must be really hard for you both to take in – he _was_ our most heated teacher after all. But things are different now; I _know_ him. And I'm sure if you guys gave him a chance too then you'd see why I like him."

"He made your life hell. He was always looking for some lame excuse to take points or give you detention! How can you possibly look passed all that?"

"You slept with him," said Hermione softly, although it sounded like an accusation. "He was our teacher…and that night before the war ended…you had sex with him."

Harry knew she didn't need an answer but he nodded nonetheless.

"Do you have any idea of how much trouble you could have gotten into? You could have been expelled! And if the Minister had gotten word of it…Harry, how could you do something so stupid?"

All Harry could do was shake his head. Words seemed to fail him. Yes, he knew he could have gotten into trouble, but when had something like that ever stopped him? He'd been driven by his heart and not his head. He'd been a stupid, pathetic, lovesick teenager. And although things could have gone better, he didn't regret it one bit. He loved Severus.

But if this was going to be a problem…if he was going to lose his friends…

"I don't know what to say," he admitted. "All I know is…I don't want a relationship to come between us. If my being with him is going to cause trouble then…well, you two mean more to me…I couldn't survive without you both."

He wasn't sure weather he'd actually be able to give up Severus if things did get that bad with Ron and Hermione. Saying it and doing it were two different things completely. Yes, he loved his friends and he needed them, but he was in love with Severus Snape. Contrary to popular belief, the man was witty and sweet and caring. Harry needed that.

"Harry," said Hermione in a much stronger voice than before, "If you think we're going to let you throw away what you have with him just because we don't approve then you're insane." Then she actually smiled. "You'd be crazy to pass this opportunity up. Don't worry about us, we'll get used to it. If he makes you happy then I don't see a problem."

"Thanks Hermione," he smiled with relief. "For a moment there I really thought you were gonna make me choose between you."

She rolled her eyes before getting up and pulling Harry into a hug. "I would never do that," she said. "Just…be careful ok? I don't want you to get hurt."

"He really is a nice man once you get to know him," he said.

"Does anyone else know about this?" asked Ron. Harry turned to look at him.

"No," he told him. "Severus said Dumbledore's suspicious but apart from that…"

"Do you trust him?"

"Severus?" Harry asked. Ron nodded. "With all my heart," Harry assured him.

"Then…I guess that's good enough for me."

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent the rest of the day in Diagon Alley, browsing the shops and dodging reporters. Both Hermione and Remus had been right; whilst most of the shoppers assured Harry that they didn't believe a word of what had been written, there were some people who hurried passed him in what could only be described as sheer terror. Ron found the whole thing highly amusing.

After stopping by Fred and George's joke shop, they decided to find somewhere to eat lunch. Harry's stomach had been grumbling for the better part of the morning as he'd skipped breakfast and so it was with a healthy appetitive that he sat down at one of the tables outside a café.

"What will it be?" asked a waiter, coming over to them.

"I'll have a chicken sandwich please," Hermione said, "With mayonnaise. And a glass of apple juice.

"I'll just have a burger and chips with a pumpkin juice," Harry said; Ron ordered the same.

"You should have invited Professor Snape, Harry," said Hermione once the waiter had disappeared inside.

"What?" he asked.

"Yeah, what?" Ron echoed.

"Well it would have been nice to start getting to know him," Hermione said as she shrugged off her cardigan and put it over the back of her chair. "If he makes you so happy then he can't be that bad."

"Well, we're not really up to doing public appearances together yet," said Harry with a smile. "But it's nice to know you're taking an interest."

Once they'd finished their meal, they set off again down the cobbled street, stopping to look in shop windows or to say 'hi' to people they knew from Hogwarts. It was amazing how many people were asking for pictures and autographs and Harry was reminded of what Ron had told him yesterday about all the letters he still had waiting for him at Hogwarts.

Again, Ron was delighted with all the attention but Hermione just took it all in her stride. He wanted to feel guilty for having thrown both his friends into the public eye but they seemed to be dealing with it perfectly. The same couldn't be said for Harry. His smiles were forced and his autographs hurried, but no one seemed to notice.

"Mr Potter, could I have a quick word?"

Harry turned, expecting to see another shopper eager to speak to him, but was instead greeted by a flash of light as a camera went off. He blinked and saw that the man who had spoken was a reporter.

"Where have you been for the last three weeks?" he asked.

"Busy," Harry replied, turning away. He wanted to run from him but he was surrounded by far too many people to make a successful getaway. Instead, he started to weave his way through the crowd, pushing Ron and Hermione along in front of him.

"Doing what?" the man asked, clearly following him.

"None of your business."

"Did you do well on your exams?"

"I don't see how that's of any interest to you."

"Mr Potter, is it true you have an interest to join the Ministry?"

"No comment."

"Is it also true that your magical abilities exceed those of Albus Dumbledore?"

"No comment." He was getting annoyed.

"And is it true that you want to put your dark magic to use?"

"No comment."

"Mr Potter, is it true that you want to follow in the Dark Lord's footsteps and bring down the Ministry and all it stands for?"

Harry whizzed around. "All it stands for?" he questioned. "All the Ministry stands for is corruption and deceit. If you think the Ministry is there is protect you and to fight evil then I'm sorry but you're deluded. It didn't even acknowledge the return of Voldemort until a year later. It let a mass murderer run amok, gathering an army to him, growing more and more powerful by the day! I remember when I told Fudge that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater and he did nothing whatsoever about it. If anything, they became closer! And Scrimgeour wasn't any better! He wanted me to make appearances at the Ministry just so it looked like I was backing whatever harebrained scheme he was cooking up!"

"So I'm right in assuming that you would want revenge for the hardships done to you by the Ministers? Perhaps by becoming a Dark Lord?"

This reporter just didn't give up. Rolling his eyes, he said "Yes. I did so well on my exams that I don't need a job. I'm going to go straight to the top and be a Dark Lord. Now excuse me whilst I go and pick out my best Death Eaters robes and call a meeting."

And with that, he grabbed Ron and Hermione and apparated them away.

The moment they reappeared, Harry's head began to sway dangerously. He staggered backwards and almost lost his footing. He suddenly had an overwhelming need to vomit.

"Go Harry!" Ron cheered, not noticing that his friend had gone several shades too pale. "You sure told him!"

"You really shouldn't have said that Harry," said Hermione, ever the voice of sensibility. "He's going to quote you saying something rotten now and turn it all around."

Harry staggered over to a nearby wall and propped himself up against it. His head was swimming and he was beginning to sweat like crazy.

"Oh come on," said Ron to Hermione. "Everyone there knew he was being sarcastic when he said that last bit. Most of them were grinning and smirking at the reporter."

"But still…if that reporter quotes him saying that…and then there was the whole thing about overthrowing the Ministry...Harry, I really don't think – Harry?"

She had just noticed that Harry was a few feet away from them. Ron followed her over to him.

"Mate, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just feel a little dizzy is all…must have been the apparation…"

"Either that or that jerk back there put a spell on you," said Ron. "Are you sure you're alright though?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine in a minute. I just need to – " But the rest of his sentence was lost when he was violently sick. Ron jumped away or it didn't splatter on his shoes but Hermione came closer and began rubbing his back.

"You've gone really pale. We have to get you to a hospital."

"That's a bit over the top isn't it?" he asked weakly. "I don't need a hospital."

"But you do need to be checked out," she said. "People don't get sick from apparating. Ron's right; someone could have cursed you. It's either that or…"

Harry looked up when she didn't finish. "Or what?" he asked.

"Nothing," she shook her head. "Come on, lets get you to St Mungo's."

"Or what, Hermione?" he pressed. He was beginning to shake and the nausea was getting worse.

"Well..." she hesitated. "It's just…last time we thought you were ill it turned out you were…well, pregnant."

Harry's eyes widened.

"You and Professor Snape have been careful, haven't you?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure we have," he said. But had they? He honestly couldn't remember. "I don't feel so good. Hermione…"

"Ok," she said. "Ron, go and get Sirius." And before he could say anything, she apparated herself and Harry to the hospital.

As soon as they appeared in the reception area, Harry was quick to vomit again. Seeing as how he was Harry Potter, this attracted quite a lot of attention and it wasn't long before a mediwitch had whisked him away to be checked over. Harry's head was still swimming madly and he held on tightly to Hermione's arm.

Once they were in an empty office, the healer seated Harry down and began to check him over. "What seems to be the problem?"

Through his daze, Harry thought that was a stupid question but he heard Hermione answer politely.

"He was absolutely fine a minute ago," she said. "We were in Diagon Alley when this reporter started hounding him. Harry yelled at him and then apparated us away. But as soon as we reappeared he got really dizzy and started being sick. We think maybe someone placed a spell on him…"

"No, it's a spell," said the healer, now looking into Harry's eyes. "I just checked and there's no trace of anything like that."

"We also thought that maybe he might be...well…"

"Pregnant," Harry finished her sentence for her.

"I see," said the healer as she checked his temperature. "And have you been trying for a baby?"

"Well, no," he said weakly. "But accidents happen and I'm not entirely sure that we've been 100 percent careful."

God. What would he do if he was pregnant again? What if he had another miscarriage? Was he ready for a baby? Would Severus still want him? Oh God, he was going to start crying.

"Ah ha!" the healer said suddenly. She pulled away from Harry and sat down opposite him. "Well, Mr Potter, I can tell you that you are not pregnant."

"I'm not?" Was he relieved? Or was that disappointment?

"No. You do, however, have a nasty case of Dragon Pox coming on."

"Dragon Pox?" Was that good or bad?

"Nothing to worry about, I assure you," she said. "We all have it at least once during our lifetime. Now, what you're feeling now – the queasiness, the dizziness, and so on – is what we like to call 'the quiet before the storm.' The worst part of the fever will hit you in the next few hours and, now that we have a cure for it, it should last for no longer than a week."

"A week! It's my birthday in two days!"

"Well, I'm afraid you're going to have to spend it resting in bed. This fever takes a lot out of you, trust me. I have a 7 year old daughter at home who's just gotten over it. But like I said, it's nothing to worry about; happens to everyone. You just make sure you get plenty of rest, and drink plenty of fluids. Oh, and when the spots start to appear do not scratch them otherwise they'll scar. You have a rough few days ahead of you, Mr Potter.

* * *

Harry had never felt so crap in his life. His head was spinning, he felt he was going to retch any second, he was sweating profusely, and his skin was on fire. His entire body ached and his stomach was churning over and over. He was covered in horrible green and brown spots that itched like sheer hell and he wasn't able to do a damn thing about it as his evil godfather had strapped mittens onto his hands.

The only thing for Harry to do was think and the only thing on his mind, apart from the intense pain the itch was causing, was pregnancy.

He'd been terrified at the thought that he could be pregnant again. He was far too young to have a baby and he was too busy enjoying his time with Severus to even think of such a thing. He should have been relieved when the healer had told him that he wasn't pregnant; a baby just wasn't something he wanted right now.

So how come he'd been disappointed?

* * *

Severus was quiet as he sat at Harry's bedside. He knew that if he made a noise then Black and Lupin would be in there in a flash. They were very protective of Harry, particularly Black. Severus recalled Harry complaining about him once or twice during their holiday, but it was done in love and nothing else. Severus imagined that if he and Harry had a child together then he would be very protective as well.

He quickly shook the thought of children from his head.

Even though Harry only had Dragon Pox, Severus was still very worried about him. Thankfully, medical breakthroughs meant that the fever only lasted for a week, and not the two, agonizing weeks it once had, back in the 16th century. Thankfully, no one died from it anymore. But it was still a painful thing to go through. Most people got it when they where toddlers and then it was, mercifully, out of the way. But being raised by muggles and not being exposed to the magical world until later on must have prevented him from getting it. A good thing really; Severus couldn't imagine how Harry's relatives would have reacted to such a magical illness – the scars from the burst spots on Harry's body were already forming greenish scales.

Harry began to stir and Severus reached for the glass of water.

"You need to drink something," he said, handing Harry the glass. "You're burning up."

"Severus?" Harry croaked – his throat was swollen and it hurt it talk. "Am I dying?"

Severus laughed. "No Harry, you're not dying. Here, drink."

He helped guide the glass to Harry's mouth and made him take a gulp.

"I always knew you had a little Slytherin in you Harry," he smirked, nodding at the scales that had appeared on Harry's body.

"It's going to be a never ending journey of Slytherin jokes now, isn't it?" Harry moaned.

Severus just chuckled.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like shit," he responded. "What are you doing here?"

"Miss Granger contacted me. She told me of your condition."

The Granger girl had indeed contacted him and it had been quite a shock to say the least. It was only natural that Harry would want to tell his friends about his relationship with Severus – he just wished that Harry would have let him know about it first.

"I should have talked to you about it before I said anything," said Harry. "I'm sorry."

"Its fine," he assured him. "She made it perfectly clear that if I hurt you in any way then I'll have her to answer to. But apart from that, she seemed to be taking the news rather well." He thought it best to leave out the part where she had reprimanded him for sleeping with a student. She had wrote something along the lines of _"You're lucky Harry likes you so much, otherwise I would have turned you in to Dumbledore."_

"I'm sorry," Harry apologised again. "Hermione can be a bit..."

"Protective?" Severus finished. "It's alright. It was entirely your decision if you wanted to tell your friends about us."

"How is she anyway?" he asked. The last he'd seen of Hermione, she'd been tucking him into bed two days ago and forcing a potion down his throat.

"Not so good," Severus smirked. "It appears she hadn't had Dragon Pox either and it is highly contagious to those who haven't had it before. She's at home in bed as we speak, suffering just as you are."

"Now I feel worse!" he complained. "And why are you smiling at something like that? She's ill because of me."

"Indeed," he grinned.

"Severus!"

"Well she had to have it some time," he reasoned. "Better now than later."

"But she was really looking forward to going to the wedding," Harry whined. "And now she's going to be all spotty and scaly."

"Ah well. Such is life."

"You're not a very sympathetic person are you?" Harry noted.

"Not at all," Severus smiled.

Harry sighed.

"This isn't how I'd pictured spending my 18th birthday," he said.

"Don't worry," said Severus, running a hand through Harry's hair. "We can make up for it later."

Severus sat with Harry a little while longer and eventually the young man fell asleep again. The poor boy looked so peaceful when he slept, despite the painful spots and scales that covered his body. Some part of him found it amusing that two of the bravest Gryffindors were now covered in scales, but something else was weighing heavily on his mind.

Granger had told him that they had thought Harry might be pregnant again. He should have been pleased that he wasn't. So why was it that a part of him couldn't help but feel as though he'd lost something?

* * *

**A/N:** Hey! Sorry about the long wait. Like I said, I wasn't able to write anything coz of the hols. Which is also why this chapter was rushed. It's getting closer and closer to the book release and I still have quite a way to go on this fic and I really want it finished by then. And I have a headache so I didn't feel much up to going over it. I know I should but I just wanted to get something posted since it's been a while. And I have that bloody 'Insomnia' tune by Faithless going through my head, lol. And I'm really excited by the new Harry Potter trailer! Yeah, I'm having a lazy day.

Please review!

xx


	4. Caught Out

**Rating:** M 

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Four: Caught Out**

Four painful days after Harry's miserable eighteenth birthday, the fever had all but vanished. What remained of the illness however was, in Harry's opinion, much worse. Despite Sirius' efforts to stop Harry from scratching the sore spots, many of them had burst, leaving horrible green and blue scales in their place. But Harry was now in the process of 'shedding his skin' which basically meant that wherever Harry went he was sure to leave a few pieces of flaky reptilian skin behind. And the process of 'shedding' wasn't exactly an easy one either; the scales kept getting caught on his clothes and bed sheets – one wrong movement and the scales were painfully ripped away.

But in spite of all this, Harry was in a particularly cheerful mood as he stood in front of his bedroom mirror, getting himself ready for Bill's wedding.

Harry had never been to a wedding before and he was actually rather looking forward to it. Remus had explained to him that weddings in the wizarding world were very much the same as weddings in the muggle world in that they followed the same rules and traditions (depending on ones religion and culture of course.) At Bill and Fleur's wedding there was to be a ceremony with flowers and hymns, followed by a reception with food and music. In fact the only difference, it seemed, was that everyone was to wear dress robes. Well, everyone except the bride – she would be in a wedding dress.

He finished fastening the silver buttons on his robes and smiled at his reflection. _Not bad_, he thought. Even with a few of his blue scales showing on his neck he still looked pretty passable for a posh wedding. His dress robes were knee length and were more like a tight-fitting tunic than anything else. They were a similar colour to his normal dress robes Mrs Weasley had bought for him back in his fourth year, a dark bottle green that did indeed bring out his eyes. He also had on a pair of smart black trousers and a silver belt, but had chosen not to wear a shirt underneath as it was sure to do nothing but aggravate his sensitive skin.

As he admired himself in the mirror he found himself picturing what his own wedding would be like; he'd like to get married outside, perhaps at sunset or in the evening under the stars. And there'd be flowers, lots and lots of flowers of all colours and varieties, and maybe some fairy lights dotted about here and there in the bushes, and a beautiful lit-up fountain behind the alter where Severus and –

He immediately cut off that train of thought. He wouldn't allow himself to dream. Severus would never agree to get married.

Harry sighed. It wasn't like Harry needed to get married or anything. Really. He was perfectly content with what he had right now. He and Severus were still in the 'getting to know you' phase of their relationship and Harry was enjoying every second of it. Marriage should be the last thing on his mind. But it couldn't hurt to wonder, could it? He imagined everyone had fantasised about their wedding at some point, even Severus.

A sudden flash of emerald light brought Harry back to his surroundings and he turned to find that Severus had just arrived via the floo network. Like Harry, he was wearing a tunic over a pair of pants, although his were in his usual colour.

"Black, Severus?" Harry questioned. "We're going to a wedding, not a funeral."

"It's a Weasley wedding," he pointed out. "There is nothing good about a Weasley getting married. It only means they will end up breeding and populating the Earth with more red-headed children."

"You never know, they could be blonde this time," Harry smiled. Severus just scowled.

Harry turned back to the mirror and looked himself over again.

"You don't think I look like Robin Hood do you?" he asked, turning from side to side.

"Robin Hood?" Severus raised an eyebrow. "You mean that thief in muggle legend?"

"He wasn't a thief," Harry said.

"He stole from the rich."

"And gave to the poor," Harry countered.

"He still stole," Severus said with a smirk. Harry turned to look at him and he saw Severus roll his eyes. "You look beautiful, Harry," he said; "Very debonair."

"Debonair?"

"Yes. Debonair." Severus grinned. "Do you need me to bring you a thesaurus so you can look it up?"

Harry chose to ignore that last comment and smiled and turned once more to the mirror. In it's reflection he saw Severus come up behind him and place a kiss a top of Harry's head as he wrapped his arms around his waist. Harry sighed and relaxed in his arms. He couldn't help but notice how right they looked together and he found himself lost in imagining once more what his special day could be like. Severus must have given it some thought, he told himself. What person attends a wedding and doesn't even think about it a teeny tiny bit?

Harry smiled at Severus' reflection and pressed a kiss to the man's chin. He reckoned he would be perfectly happy to just stay like this forever, locked peacefully in his lover's arms. Just as that thought was passing through Harry's head, Severus straightened up and pulled away.

"I don't see why I have to go to this ridiculous wedding," he was saying. "It's not as if I actually like either of them."

"You were invited," Harry replied, trying not to feel too sad about the loss of body contact. "It's only polite that you show up."

Severus scoffed. "I was only invited because the rest of the Order was invited. I doubt it'll make very much difference whether I choose to show or not."

"I want you there," Harry said, reaching out an arm to pull Severus back to him who, in turn, allowed Harry to give him a quick kiss on the lips before continuing.

"Apart from your annoying friends, no one even knows we're together. You'll be on one side of the room, drinking wine and enjoying yourself, and I'll be on the other, stuck with Dumbledore discussing muggles and the weather."

"People know we're friends," Harry pointed out. "There's nothing wrong with friends talking to each other."

"Yes," said Severus. "But when has Severus Snape ever been polite enough to talk to a friend?"

"Just come," Harry said, silently pleading, "You'll have a good time in the end, I promise."

Severus snorted in amusement. "If I do get to come then I definitely will be having a good time."

It took a moment for Harry to realise what the man actually meant by that and when he did, he blushed and hit Severus on the arm.

"And I thought I was the dirty minded one," said Harry. He didn't know why but he always seemed to get a bit flustered whenever Severus made suggestive comments. He supposed it was because he was still used to the man being the reserved, straight-talking man he had found himself attracted to in the first place.

"You look so innocent when you blush," Severus told him with a grin. Before Harry could think of a reply, Severus leaned in and captured Harry's lips with his in a soft, sensual kiss and it wasn't long before he had Harry moaning and pressing closer. When he brought a hand up to Harry's neck though, the younger man jumped away with a sharp gasp.

"What's wrong?" Severus asked, suddenly worried.

"Nothing," said Harry, rubbing his neck, "You just…caught a scale."

"I'm sorry," Severus laughed. He then checked the watch on his wrist. "I best be going," he said. "There are potions that need my attention."

"I'll see you at the wedding then?" Harry asked.

"I suppose," Severus sighed. "But you owe me."

Harry just smiled brightly.

* * *

Harry, Sirius and Remus apparated to The Burrow and joined the Weasley children and Hermione in the living room to await the moment the portkey would be activated. Arrangements had already been made with the French Ministry about the number of witches and wizards travelling to France for the wedding and legal documentations, such as passports, weren't needed on this occasion. 

Most of the guests would be travelling back home after the reception, or else staying in nearby hotels or the Delacour mansion itself. Harry knew that Sirius and Remus had already arranged for the three of them to stay over in a muggle hotel; he was also pretty sure Dumbldore would be there as well, although how the old man planned to blend in to a muggle crowd, Harry didn't know.

At one minute to 11, Remus stood up and told everyone to gather round. Harry did so and placed a finger on the cushion that was to transport them. There was idle chatter as everyone stood and Harry braced himself for the uncomfortable feeling that came with using such magical transportation. It came and Harry screwed his eyes tight shut until he felt himself hit the floor.

When he opened them again, his mouth fell open. Ron had been right to describe this place as a palace. The great white building in front of him was no way near as big as Hogwarts but it was definitely bigger than any other house Harry had ever seen and it immediately put him in mind of the fictional fairy tale castles he'd read about when he had been attending his muggle primary school. The building boasted a number of turrets and spiral towers and the surrounding lawn was trimmed to perfection. Beyond the gates, he could see fruit trees and brightly coloured flowers blooming in the ground. He almost expected to see rabbits and butterflies and maybe a rainbow in the sky.

"Who does she think she is? Cinderella?" Harry heard Hermione say. The others gave her a funny look. "A muggle – " she began to explain, then sighed and shook her head, "Never mind."

"Come on," said Fred, stepping towards the gate, "Lets go and find Mum and Dad."

Inside, they were greeted by Mr and Mrs Weasley and Bill. Once they'd been given a quick tour (and Remus had dropped of their things at the hotel they would be staying in) they were brought into a large room where they were introduced to the Delacour family. Fleur's mother could very well have been mistaken for an older sister; she was tall, slim, and blonde and instantly reminded Harry of Narcissa Malfoy. Madame Delacour however was much nicer to talk to and she possessed a caring, motherly nature that Harry had always found in Mrs Weasley. Fleur's father was also of slim build, although more masculine, and he was darker in features than that of his wife. Then there was Fleur's older sister, Alina, who was definitely her father's daughter; she wasn't as slim as her mother and had dark eyes and long dark hair; she smirked at Hermione when they were introduced who pretended she hadn't noticed. Next there was Gabrielle who they had already met – she gave Harry a shy smile and he smiled back. Lastly, he was introduced to Elroy and Jacques, the younger brothers Ron had mentioned to them after his visit at Christmas. They, too, were blonde and slim. Harry suspected it must have been the family's veela ancestry.

Once the introductions were out of the way, there was nothing much to do but wait for the wedding ceremony to begin.

* * *

Severus walked with Dumbledore as they joined the rest of the guests making their way from the ceremony hall to the reception area. He couldn't quite believe he had just wasted an entire hour watching two people get married. What was worse was he was now faced with spending the rest of the afternoon and evening watching the happy couple celebrate. 

He _supposed_ it had been a rather nice wedding, if you liked that sort of thing. Far too romantic for him though. He didn't see the point in making such a big fuss about something as trivial as a wedding, especially a Weasley wedding. Many of the brides relatives were teary-eyed and kept blowing their noses on handkerchiefs. Severus had never understood why people got so emotional at weddings; he just didn't see what there was to cry about. It wasn't as if someone had died or had come down with some dreadful disease. Pity.

He sat down at one of the round tables, vaguely aware of the assorted pink and white decorations; streamers, banners, and balloons were all scattered about the room (rather elegantly, he had had to admit) and there were place mats at each table with the names of the guests on. Heart shaped confetti was gently falling from the ceiling, disappearing before they made contact with anything, much like the snow in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. Dumbledore and the other teachers were commenting on it joyfully, saying how _lovely_ everything looked, and how _lovely_ the ceremony had been, and how _lovely_ it was to see two young people in love. Severus scowled. Then he noticed the free bar. Lovely.

He got up and made his way over to it and ordered a scotch.

There had been a point when Severus would have hated himself for drinking, but ever since he'd been with Harry he'd found himself relaxing enough to allow himself a casual drink. It felt good knowing that he could enjoy a drink without something bad happening. When they had been in Rome he had took great pleasure in their 'nights on the town'. When he was with Harry it almost felt like he was reliving a part of his school years that he had never gotten around to experiencing.

Without thanking the bar man, he picked up his scotch and made his way back over to the table he had been seated at. As he squeezed passed some more emotional French relatives he noticed Harry being greeted by some unknown redheads. _Probably distant Weasleys_, he thought with shudder. He'd never imagined he'd be in a room full of them.

He sat down whilst keeping an eye on Harry. His heart ached as he watched his young lover walk away and join his friends. Over the passed few weeks he'd grown accustomed to having Harry around. When they were together it seemed as though they were the only two people in the world and nothing else mattered, but being at this wedding and being on opposite sides of the room brought it all screaming back – almost everyone in this room thought Harry was single. Severus fought hard to keep his jealously from showing.

Slowly, he turned his eyes away from Harry and looked at his fellow colleagues. Resigned to the fact that it was going to be a long night, he picked up his glass and downed his drink in one.

* * *

"Professor Snape," Harry voice was cheerful. "Hi. You enjoying yourself?" 

Severus turned to look at Harry and smiled.

"I am having a fabulous time thanks to this bottle of vodka," he informed him, holding up the bottle. "Try some."

Harry raised an eyebrow and turned to the other professors. "How much has he had?" he asked with a slight snicker.

"We're all just letting our hair down and enjoying ourselves, young Harry," Dumbledore said merrily. "Alas, it is not everyday we get to see our dear potions teacher in such a good mood."

Harry chuckled and was about to slide himself into the spare chair when Severus grabbed hold of his arm and pulled him into his lap. Harry yelped in surprise but the others just laughed, although Harry suspected they were laughing at Severus' state and not the situation in itself.

"You really are drunk," Harry commented, reaching out a hand to steady himself on the table.

"And you seem awfully sober," Severus replied. "Here, down that." He pushed the vodka bottle into his hand.

Harry lifted it to his noise and sniffed and he was fairly certain he felt his brain screw itself into a ball – it actually hurt to smell it. "That stinks," he said as he pushed it away, but Severus pushed it back at him.

"You're supposed to drink it, not sniff it," he snickered. "Go on."

He knew he was going to regret it but he took a tiny sip anyway. As soon as the liquid touched his tongue he immediately brought his hand to his mouth and coughed, feeling his eyes water.

"That is the most disgusting thing I have ever tasted," he said between coughing. "How can you drink that?"

"It's free," was all Severus said. Then he smirked. "Just add some orange juice to it and you'll be fine. Come on." And before he knew what was going on he was being dragged by his hand across to the bar. "Vodka and orange for Mr Potter please," Severus said to the bar man. He turned to Harry and said with a wicked smile, "We are going to get you nice and drunk."

* * *

"Congratulations on the wedding. Please don't have any children." 

Harry tried hard not to giggle but when you've had four vodka and oranges and a pretty hefty number of cocktails it's hard to control yourself. He laughed so much he had tears coming out of his eyes and it was quite a while before he managed to calm himself down, no thanks to Severus. Bill just stood there, watching the whole thing with a cheerful, if somewhat bemused, expression on his face.

"What Severus means is, it was a lovely ceremony and we wish you both the best of luck."

"No I don't," Severus said, "I really do mean don't have any children."

"You don't mean that," Harry said to Severus, then turned to Bill, "He doesn't mean that. We want you to have lots and lots of babies and send them all to Hogwarts."

"I don't think you two should drink anymore," said Bill smiling at them.

"Why not?" asked Severus, then his eyes grew wide. "Have they started charging at the bar? Run, Harry, run! Get the vodka!"

Harry burst out laughing again and staggered away from Severus and Bill and back over to the teachers table. He collapsed into Severus' chair still shaking uncontrollably with laughter. He didn't even know why he was laughing. Bloody alcohol. He laughed harder.

"Oh dear, I think someone's had a bit too much," said a voice Harry recognised as McGonagall's. Somewhere in Harry's head it registered how weird it was to have his former teachers see him drunk, but that thought was immediately forgotten when Severus joined them with a fresh batch of drinks.

He sat down next to Harry and dished out the drinks to the others gathered at the table. He then raised his glass in a toast.

"To Harry Potter," he said. "He's a damn annoying little brat."

"Hey!" Harry whined. "I am not annoying. Nor am I _little_."

Severus grinned and downed his drink in one. He watched Harry expectantly as the boy drank his. Once he'd finished he leaned in and whispered, "Wanna get out of here?"

Harry giggled. "Lead the way."

* * *

Once Severus had gotten the door to his hotel room unlocked, they both stumbled across the room, lips fixed on lips in a clumsy kiss. Harry's hands worked on the buttons of Severus' shirt (his tunic had gone 'missing' at some point during the evening) and the moment his hands felt skin, his mouth descended and attached itself to a hard nipple. Severus gasped and the backs of his knees hit the bed and he tumbled backwards. Hopping on one foot and then the other, Harry pulled off his shoes and socks and threw them across the room. 

The hotel was a rather modern one and Severus' room was 20 floors up. The room contained twin beds, a wardrobe and chest of drawers, and a snack and mini bar. Harry's eyes, however, were drawn to the large window opposite that stretched from floor to ceiling and took up the entire width of the room.

Forgetting for the moment about Severus, Harry walked over to the window and looked out. The whole of the city was visible from here, all lit up in different colours under the stars. Harry realised he didn't actually know where about in France he was, but its city lights were amazing. He loved the city. So noisy and full of life.

_Man, I am really drunk_, he thought with a giggle.

"Why are you more interested in looking out of that window than you are in me?" Severus asked.

Harry laughed and turned his back to the window. Then, with a smirk, he slowly started to undress himself. Severus was still, his eyes fixed hungrily on the movement of Harry's hands.

Once he'd finished with the buttons on his tunic he dropped it on the ground and moved his hands to the fastenings of his trousers. He vaguely remembered that he was covered in scales (indeed, some of them had dropped to the floor with his tunic) but right now he was much too full of alcohol to let such a thing bother him. His trousers pooled at his ankles and he kicked them off; he sighed slightly as he felt the cool air on his skin. Then, with another smirk, he turned round so that his back was to Severus and pulled off his boxers. Harry heard the other man moan and he grinned to himself but then jumped when he felt hands on his hips. Then lips were on his shoulders, so softly, and hands were on his cock, and Harry's eyes had drifted shut. He was already fully erect and he knew he wouldn't last.

He twisted around in Severus arms and leaned his back against the window.

"Fuck me," he whispered and his eyes shone with passion. "Fuck me hard."

"My pleasure," Severus smirked.

* * *

Harry awoke in a tangle of sheets, lying horizontally across the single bed. He groaned and tried to move his head slowly so that he could take in his surroundings. He wasn't entirely sure where he was or how he had gotten there. All he knew was that his body _ached_. 

He rolled over and his arm hit something solid. He cracked open an eye and saw that Severus was sleeping at the top of the bed. Harry smiled when the memory of their late night activities came back to him. They'd made such fools of themselves. But, Harry thought to himself, it was all in good fun. It had actually been a pretty good night and he definitely wouldn't mind a few.

He yawned and rolled back over. He felt a little groggy but it was nothing a good breakfast and fresh air wouldn't cure. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he sat up. He stopped and stared. Then he rubbed his eyes again. _Shit_.

Albus Dumbledore was sleeping in the next bed.

He hadn't been there the night before. Had he?

Gathering the sheets around him, Harry crawled to the top of the bed and shook Severus awake.

"Wha…?"

"You didn't tell me you were sharing a room with Dumbledore!" Harry hissed at him. Harry watched as realisation dawned on Severus' face.

"Shit," he muttered. He sat up slowly and looked over at the sleeping elder man.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Harry hissed again.

"How am I supposed to remember every little thing when I am pissed out of my head?" Severus snapped.

"You could have told me before you got drunk!"

"How was I to know we were going to end up in bed together?"

"Because we usually do!"

"Alright, alright," said Severus, rubbing his head, "There's no need to get angry. We just need to…think."

"Think? Think. Ok, think, I can do that. Ok, ok. He's asleep." He looked at Severus. "Do you think he noticed me?"

"Well, considering the fact that he wasn't there when we arrived here last night, yeah, I'm pretty sure he's noticed you!"

"Don't yell," Harry hissed, "You'll wake him up!"

"I'm already awake," said a deep voice. Oh _shit_.

* * *

**A/N:** As usual, sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I do try to catch them all but some always end up escaping!

And yes, I know you all want to read about the hot, steamy sex, but I really don't want to risk it. A friend of mine got banned the other week for writing a graphic sex scene in his fic so I there's no way I'm taking the chance. If, however, I do post these fics somewhere else so that I can include the scenes, I promise you'll all be the first to know, lol.

Please Review!


	5. The Beginning of the Future

**Rating:** M 

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

**

* * *

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**Chapter Five: The Beginning of the Future**

All Harry could do was stare, dumbstruck, as Albus Dumbledore got out of bed and wrapped a dressing gown around himself. Of all the possible things that could have happened, why did Dumbledore, good old powerful Albus Dumbledore, have to catch them in bed together? This definitely wasn't the way he had pictured the morning going.

His brain was screaming a hundred and one questions that he desperately needed answers to; how long had he been there? Had he seen anything? Had anybody else seen anything? Was he going to tell everyone? Was he going to yell? Were they in trouble? Unfortunately though, the only thing that Harry managed to say was;

"This is not what it looks like."

Dumbledore stood by the window and folded his arms across his chest. He looked down at Harry who was still sat at the end of Severus' bed, naked except for the white linen sheet wrapped around his body. For a moment Harry could have sworn he sore that infamous twinkle in his eye. But the look on the old Headmasters face told a different story.

"Please don't tell me you were in the room the whole time," Severus spoke.

Dumbledore's face turned to Severus. "Fortunately no," he said, "I wasn't."

"Thank God for small mercies," Harry heard Severus mutter. Dumbledore didn't appear to have heard though.

"When I came in after the party had finished," he said, "It was to find the two of you already asleep in bed together, clothes all over the floor."

It was then that Harry noticed the offending articles of clothing scattered about the room. Indeed, not even a foot away from where Dumbledore stood lay Harry's boxer shorts. Harry quickly looked away and tried to prevent himself from blushing.

"Just because we're naked doesn't mean we had...you know…"

"Sexual intercourse?" Dumbledore supplied. Harry fought harder to keep the blush away. It was one thing to be drunk in front of your teachers, but to have your old Headmaster know you'd just had sex…

Luckily, Severus spoke up, saving Harry from any additional embarrassment.

"Even if we did sleep together, it's not illegal," he pointed out. "And it would have been entirely consensual."

"Of course," nodded Dumbledore. "You are quite correct there Severus. I trust neither of you would ever take advantage of the other in a drunken state. However," he went on, "The legality of the whole thing depends on when this little _liaison_ actually began."

"The legality of it?" Harry questioned, panicking slightly – surely Dumbledore wouldn't turn them in! "This is in the here and now," he said, "It's got nothing to do with the past."

"On the contrary Harry, it has everything to do with the past. If someone were to find out that this relationship started whilst you were in school –"

"Have you any proof that this started whilst Harry was in school?" Severus interrupted.

Dumbledore paused for a moment before replying. "I'm sure you know that I do not have any," said Dumbledore, in a voice so calm it worried Harry. "I only have the words you speak to me. And I know I can trust you both to tell me the truth."

Harry felt a twinge of shame shoot through at that. Dumbledore had shown them nothing but trust in the past, particularly Severus, and this was the thanks they gave him? Keeping their relationship from him?

"Look," said Severus, obviously a little agitated. "Yes, you're right; Harry and I slept together last night…"

Harry's eyes widened.

"…And yes, we had sex in this very room and in this very bed…"

Shame forgotten, Harry flushed with embarrassment and hid his face in his hands.

"…We even had it on the floor over there by the window! Hell, if you want details, we had it pressed _against_ the window!"

Oh. My. God.

"…Harry and I had _sex_. But he is an _adult_ and he is _not_ in _school_. It is entirely _legal_."

Oh, Harry was going to kill Snape later on. Just because _he_ didn't mind talking about sex didn't mean Harry didn't! And next to Sirius, Dumbledore was probably the last person he wanted to know about his sex life!

It seemed Dumbledore hadn't even bated an eyelid at Severus' words. "So you're telling me that this relationship started after Harry left school?"

"Yes," said Severus, "That is what I am telling you." It wasn't a lie, as that was indeed what he was telling him. He just wasn't telling him the truth.

"I see," said Dumbledore pensively. Then he said, "Forgive me for bringing it up but if I recall correctly, Harry became pregnant not two months ago. I also recall you, Severus, being pretty upset about Harry's ordeal. Tell me, who was the one who slept with Harry then?"

Harry stopped trying to make himself disappear into the floor and looked to Severus for help. Severus was, after all, the master of deception, if his years as a spy were anything to go by. However, Dumbledore seemed to be the only man who could break Severus and the only comfort Harry found in him now was a mere shrug, a shake of the head, and a look of defeat.

Harry turned back to the headmaster.

"I was of legal age," he said unhelpfully.

Dumbledore sighed and then smiled sadly. Harry gulped. "I have suspected for some time now that there was more to your friendship than previously met the eye," he said, "And when I walked in on the two in you in bed together and found clothes all over the floor, my suspicions were confirmed. Now I'm not going to shout at you or tell you off, but I _am_ going to tell you how disappointment I am in you both. I trust you both knew the risks of getting involved with each other. If someone would have found out, you, Severus, would have swapped your job for a cell in Azkaban and Harry would have been expelled when they realised he wasn't forced into anything. And no doubt the Minister would have wanted to look in to the running of the school," he added.

Harry and Severus sat silently on the bed, not daring to make a sound. Why was disappointment always worse than anything else? Harry had long ago discovered that he hated letting Dumbledore down and it wasn't a nice feeling to find himself in such a position once more.

He remembered back to when their relationship had started and mentally cursed himself. How many times had Severus warned him about the trouble they could get into? He should have heeded his words, not forced himself upon the man.

He supposed now was the time to apologise – to Severus for getting him in trouble with the Headmaster, and to the Headmaster for having such a relationship. Teachers were authority figures after all and were meant to be people you could trust. He looked up slowly, gathering his apology to him, when Dumbledore spoke again.

"However," he continued, in a tone that Harry swore was amusement, "As Severus has so kindly pointed out, there is no proof that anything of an intimate nature has taken place between the two of you before last night and, quite frankly, I don't think people would believe me even if I told them of what I had discovered. So," he smiled, "This conversation never happened. In fact, I never even saw you in bed together. Now if you'll excuse me, I am going to go and get a spot of fresh air."

The sudden change in Dumbledore's attitude startled Harry so much that he wondered whether he had actually zoned out for a few seconds and missed some crucial part of the conversation; so much in fact that Harry felt compelled to push the old man for a few answers.

"You…you're not going to tell us it's wrong or force us to stop seeing each other?" he asked in confusion.

"My dear Harry, I'm not sure what you mean."

"But you just said –"

"Ah, yes, right. My fresh air." Still in his slippers and dressing gown, Dumbledore walked over to the hotel room door and opened it. With one hand on the handle he turned and said "When I come back I will find Severus dressed and ready to go and Harry will be nowhere in sight" before walking out merrily and closing the door behind him.

Harry was baffled. Severus, however, was sat smiling at the door through which the old man had just disappeared.

"What was _that_ about?" he asked.

"I think," Severus said with smile, "That _that_ was Dumbledore's approval."

"Approval?" Harry repeated. "How can he approve? Aren't you worried he's going to tell people?"

"Tell them what?"

"That he found us in bed with each other!"

"He didn't," Severus said simply.

"But he just..." Harry started, then trailed off. "Oh God," he groaned, flopping back onto the bed, "Why oh _why_ is everyone being so cryptic today? Why couldn't he just say he was going to pretend he hadn't seen us?"

"Because that would mean lying," Severus said, smiling at Harry, "This way, however, he's just not acknowledging it."

Harry lay still for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling, as Severus busied himself with gathering their clothes together. Dumbledore confused him. He always had and he probably always would. But the Headmaster had left before they could all talk through things thoroughly. Where did that leave them? Did Dumbledore really approve?

With a sigh, Harry pushed himself up on his elbows.

"I can't believe how careless we were last night," he said as he watched Severus get dressed. "I mean, what were we thinking? Acting like a drunken couple in front of a crowd of people? Having sex against the window? What if someone had seen us through it? What if it had smashed and we'd fallen to our deaths?"

"I seriously doubt someone would see us through a window that is 20 floors up," Severus said, "And I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have smashed Harry."

"Still!" said Harry, "We really should be more careful in future. Anyone could have seen us and then it would have been all over the news! No, in future we definitely need to take a lot more precautions. We're just lucky it was Dumbledore and not –"

Severus stopped what he was doing and looked over at Harry when he didn't finish his sentence.

"What?" he asked.

"Precautions." Harry looked up. "We didn't take any."

"I think you've just established that in your little speech."

"No, Severus, not that! _Precautions!_ Protection! Birth control!"

How could they have been so stupid? What kind of people forgot over and over to use protection? What if they got some sort of infection? What if one of them got pregnant? This really wasn't the kind of thing a person could afford to forget.

Severus was silent for a moment as he came over to Harry and sat beside him. Harry noticed that his face was blank and his heart ached a little at the sight. They were growing closer everyday but Severus still managed to hide his emotions when he found himself in a particular situation, such as this for instance. Harry hated that he couldn't tell what his lover was feeling. _With time_, he kept telling himself.

"You shouldn't worry about it," Severus said. "What are the chances of you getting pregnant every time we do it without a condom, hmm? Some couples try for months and months to get pregnant. But," he said and he wrapped an arm around Harry's waist, "Just to be on the safe side, I'll make you a post-coital potion."

Harry looked at him. "What's one of those?"

"It's like the muggle 'morning after' pill," he explained with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh. How does it work?"

"It works as a contraceptive. That's all you need to know."

Harry was quiet as he sat and thought over that. He'd heard that many muggles used that form of emergency contraception and, naturally, he'd never thought anything of it. But now that he had to take it himself he couldn't help but wonder how, exactly, a thing like that worked. How was it supposed to stop you from getting pregnant if the moment of conception had already passed? Actually, when was the precise moment of conception? He was only starting to realise just how uneducated he was in this area.

Severus was already back on his feet, getting ready, when Harry voiced his concern. "It won't make me miscarry will it?"

Severus paused. Again, it was impossible for Harry to tell what was going through his mind.

"It will just stop you from getting pregnant," he said.

"But what if I'm already pregnant? How's it supposed to stop it then?"

"Because…it just does." Once again, he approached Harry and brought him into his arms. "Harry, I promise you, it won't be like last time. This method of contraception is completely standard, I assure you. You won't even notice it working."

Standard. Completely normal. Then why did he feel so scared all of a sudden?

"I know I'm being stupid," he said quietly, "I mean, thousands of people use it every day, right? It's just…after what happened last time…" he stopped and was surprised to find he had to choke back tears he hadn't noticed forming. What was wrong with him? He shouldn't be crying over something like this. And yet, here he was, finding it increasingly difficult to speak without spilling his soul.

Severus seemed to have noticed something was wrong for he pulled Harry into a tight comforting hug, but if anything it only made things harder and much too soon, tears were splashing down Harry's cheeks and all he could think about was his poor lost baby and how he'd only spent a mere couple of days grieving. Was he really so heartless?

"Hey," Severus whispered soothingly, "Hey, it's alright."

"No," he cried, "No, it's not alright. Nothing's alright. I killed our baby!"

"Don't you dare think like that! Harry, you had a miscarriage. Nothing you could have done could have prevented that."

But Harry wasn't listening. Tears were falling and he was shaking in Severus' arms. "I shouldn't have wanted an abortion. If I hadn't have said I wanted an abortion then the baby still might be here."

"Nothing could have changed that Harry. You need to understand that."

"Then I shouldn't have gone out to fight!" he shouted. "I shouldn't have got hit by that curse! I shouldn't have exhausted myself!"

"Please stop thinking like this Harry," Severus said desperately. He sounded upset, which was understandable, Harry thought. After all, it had been his baby as well that Harry had lost. Although...

Severus had yelled at him and hurt him and had made him feel so unwanted. And Harry had felt so humiliated and used. Now that he came to think about it, Severus had only apologised to Harry after he'd realised what had happened…he had obviously felt guilty for treating Harry the way he had when he'd seen him rled up on that bathroom floor, crying his heart out…and now he didn't want Harry to blame himself because they both _knew_ that _Snape_ was the one to blame…he wouldn't have miscarried if he'd had Severus by his side! It was all Snape's fault for throwing him out!

Harry pulled away so abruptly that he almost fell. He stood shakily, staring hatefully at Severus, who could only look back in confusion. It was hard to believe that this man, the man he loved, was the cause of so much pain. Why had Harry chosen to stay with him? He'd cost him his child!

But when Harry's eyes made contact with Severus', all the hatred and resentment was lost in a single heartbeat. This man loved him. This man worried and cared and honoured and worshipped…

"I love you," Harry whispered through his tears and he reached out for Severus' hand, needing to feel that safe touch. "Please don't ever leave me."

And the two of them just stood silently, wrapped in each others arms.

* * *

Severus stopped by Grimmauld Place later that day and dropped off the potion he'd made for Harry. Has he had handed it over he had made sure to tell Harry that he was under no obligation to take it and that he should do what he felt was best.

Severus knew that it was a bad idea for Harry to get pregnant. He was still so young after all and he had his whole life ahead of him so there wasn't any hurry to have a baby. The time right now just wasn't right; Severus would be returning to Hogwarts in a few weeks time and Harry would be looking for a job himself. No, a baby just wasn't practical.

But despite all that, somewhere deep down inside of him, Severus ached for the love and stability a family would bring. He'd never had any of that growing up and that had always made him doubt his own capabilities of raising a child. Except his mother and Dumbledore, he had never really cared for anyone. But now that he had Harry, everything just seemed to be falling into place. Severus _wanted_ to be a father – the only thing stopping him was his fear of messing it all up.

What if he really did turn out to be a terrible parent? For a start, he wasn't really _that_ fond of children and his knowledge of how to deal with them was very limited as he'd spent the last 16 years teaching Potions to annoying teenagers. With the exception of a few cousins, he had never been around a child younger than the age of 11 and he had no clue of how to bring one up.

And then there was Harry. He was entirely sure what Harry's feelings were on the subject, but from what he had gathered so far he would guess that the young man wouldn't say 'no' to having children. It just seemed to be one of those things really – if it happened then it happened, if it didn't…well, there was still plenty of time left.

Harry would make a good father, there was no doubt about it. He could just see Harry now, sitting in front of the fire on a cold autumn night, a small black-haired, green-eyed baby dozing peacefully in his arms. And Harry would be so happy, so content with how his life had turned out. And as long as the little baby didn't inherit the Snape nose, Severus would be happy as well.

He sighed heavily as he turned over in his bed. Why was he thinking of such things? Harry probably wasn't even pregnant anyway. And even if he was, Severus had already given him that potion. If Harry had any sense, he would have taken it by now.

Still, they had years ahead of them. They had plenty of time to start a family together.

* * *

"You and Professor Snape seemed very cosy at the wedding," Hermione smiled as she greeted Harry.

"You don't think everyone noticed do you?" he asked. No one had commented on it so far.

"Nah," she said, "Everyone just assumed you were both really drunk. Hell, even Sirius didn't notice! But seeing as how he spent most of the night trying to pole dance, it's not all that surprising really."

Harry laughed and sat down at the kitchen table in the Granger household.

It had now been a week since they'd gone to France for the wedding and Hermione and Ron and the rest of the Weasley clan had only just arrived back yesterday, as they had ended up staying in France with the Delacour family, whilst Fleur and Bill went on their honeymoon. As they were now officially in-laws, the parents had wanted to spend some more time together and, as Ron was soon to be married, they had found plenty to talk about. Although it seemed Hermione hadn't enjoyed France as much as the others had for she had sent Harry a letter, begging for some company, the moment she'd arrived home. And as Harry had been moping around the house for the passed week, Harry had jumped at the chance to see his friend.

She set a cup of tea in front of Harry before pouring herself one and sitting down opposite him.

"So how are things with you and Professor Snape anyway?" she asked, brushing a stray hair away from her face.

"Fine," he said with a shrug. "Everything's fine. Oh, Dumbledore found out about us though."

"Dumbledore? How?"

"He sort of walked in on us," he explained. "We weren't doing anything though," he added quickly. "We were just asleep and he sort of put two and two together really…he's alright with it though. I mean, Severus says he approves of us…but that was after he told us off…and then he said he was going to pretend he hadn't seen us..." he broke off and smiled at Hermione. "It's a complicated story."

Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes. "Trust you to end up being caught by Dumbledore. I really wish you'd be more careful."

He shifted in his seat at the word 'careful'. "Yeah," he sighed. "But hey. What's done is done." He took a sip of his tea before changing the subject. "So how was your week away?" he asked. "You sounded pretty desperate in that letter."

"It was horrible," she told him.

"Why? What happened?"

"Well, it wasn't _all_ horrible," she corrected herself, "I got quite a lot of job hunting done. But I spent most of my time out in the garden by myself."

"Why's that?"

"Oh, just, you know…" she trailed off and Harry could have sworn he sore the beginnings of a blush reach her cheeks.

"What?" he asked again, intrigued now; it was very rare for Hermione to blush.

"Just…Fleur's sisters…"

"They didn't do something to you did they?" he asked, quickly jumping to into 'big brother' mode.

"No," she shook her head, "No, it's nothing like that. They were fairly nice to me really."

"Then what's the problem?" Harry asked, confused.

"It's just…I don't really like being around them. They're all so…_beautiful_."

Harry was baffled. "That's it? That's the big problem?"

"Well…yeah." Harry didn't think he'd ever seen Hermione look so awkward before, but he just couldn't understand why Alina's and Gabrielle's beauty was such a problem. Unless of course…

His eyes grew wide. "You're not one of those lesbians are you?"

"What? Harry, no!" she said incredulously, and Harry was pleased to see she laughed. "And what do you mean, _'one of those lesbians'_?"

"Well, you know," he said vaguely, "Lesbians are all just so…_lesbiany_."

"And I could say gay men are all just flamboyant and flappy!"

"Hey!" Harry whined indignantly, "I am not flamboyant and flappy!"

"And all lesbians aren't _lesbiany_," she replied.

"Fine, fine," he muttered. "You win. Bloody lesbians."

"Hey!"

"What?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but then sighed and chuckled. "Why are we even having this conversation?"

"Because you said you were a lesbian!"

"I did not say I was a lesbian," she laughed, "_You_ said I was a lesbian."

"I did?"

"Yes!"

"Really?" he asked. "Why would I call you a lesbian?"

"How would I know?" She rolled her eyes at Harry and chuckled before taking a drink from her cup. Harry was silent for a moment as he watched her.

"So, you're not a lesbian?" he asked slowly.

"No," she replied.

"What's wrong with lesbians?"

"Nothing! But," she smiled, "According to you, they're all _lesbiany_."

Harry shrugged. "What would I know? I'm gay."

Hermione laughed out loud and Harry just smiled at her. It had been such a long time since they'd enjoyed each others company like this.

"So," he said, "Seriously, what's the problem?"

"What? Oh," she remembered, "Yeah, that. Well, it's seems a bit stupid now I've cheered up. It was just…" she sighed. "Well…you promise you won't laugh at me?"

"Cross my heart," said Harry.

"Ok, well…I've never really been that concerned with my appearance. It's just something that doesn't bother me, you know? I simply look how I look. But when you're surrounded by the Delacour girls…I dunno…" She broke off and turned her attention to the cup in her hand. "Ron kept looking at Alina and she kept grinning at me…

"Ron loves you," Harry said softly. "He's _marrying_ you. He thinks the world of you." He reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers. It felt strange to be comforting Hermione as she was usually the one with all the advice. "You're the most beautiful girl I've ever met; and I know you may think that doesn't mean much, seeing as how I'm 'flamboyant and flappy'" he grinned and Hermione chuckled, "But you are. You're not some fake, tarted up Barbie doll. You're just…_beautiful_."

"You're not very good at this you know," she chuckled lightly. "But…that did help. Thank you."

Harry grinned brightly. "I'm just glad Saint Harry Potter could be of assistance."

* * *

"I love you."

Severus' eyes didn't leave his potions magazine. "I know," he said.

"Well?" asked Harry, gazing at him expectantly.

"Well what?"

Severus could almost sense Harry roll his eyes. "Aren't you going to say 'I love you too.'?"

He lowered his magazine for a moment and looked at Harry before lifting it again. "No."

That earned a smack. "Why not?" Harry pouted.

"Because," he explained with a heavy sigh, "What would be the point when you already know how I feel?"

"Well it's nice to hear it," Harry said.

"If you hear it to often it will go to your head."

"Severus!"

"Fine." He sighed dramatically and dropped his magazine on to the floor in favour of gathering Harry quickly into his arms. "I love you," he said, kissing his neck, "I ardour you," he kissed his chin, "I worship the ground you walk on." He looked up. "Better?"

Harry beamed brightly. "Much," he smiled. "I love you."

This time it was Severus' turn to roll his eyes. "I love you too."

Like an excitable child, Harry squealed and quickly snuggled down deep into the bed covers and Severus couldn't stop the affectionate chuckle that escaped from him.

Life with Harry was definitely good for him, he decided. The young man certainly kept him on his toes and there was no denying that he brought out the best in him. In all honesty, he didn't think he'd ever smiled as much as he did when he was with Harry. The boy was just so full of life and you couldn't help but take a shine to him. He found he relaxed more and more into their relationship each day and it was getting to the point where he couldn't imagine a future that didn't have Harry in. He couldn't actually believe how far things had come in such a short time. He practically lived for these moments with Harry.

Severus had recently found himself thinking about asking Harry to move in with him. Ok, so his home wasn't exactly as grand as Grimmauld Place, but Harry didn't strike him as the type to let something like that enter into his judgement. But every time he'd plucked up the courage to ask Harry he'd always been overcome with nerves at the last minute, and not just because Harry might say 'no', but because of what it meant. Living together would mean being around each other every day. Living together meant sharing everything. What if living together made caused arguments? He'd lived alone since he'd left school; he wasn't sure if he could just invite someone in just like that. But then, Harry was already such a big part of his life.

"Severus?" came Harry's voice from under the covers.

"Yes Harry?" he answered.

"I need to tell you something."

Severus frowned. "Such as?"

"It's something that might make you angry," Harry said, and he almost sounded ashamed. Curious, Severus moved to pull the covers away from Harry's head but Harry just held on tighter to them.

"You can tell me," he said, concerned.

"You promise you won't get mad?" Harry sounded almost afraid now.

"I promise," Severus said. "Now are you going to come out from under there and tell me?"

"No," said Harry, shaking his head under the duvet.

"You're not going to tell me or you're not going to come out?"

Harry paused. "If I come out you'll shout at me."

"Harry, I promise I won't shout at you," Severus said honestly. He was growing worried now. What could possibly have Harry acting like this? Just as he was contemplating a way to get Harry to re-emerge, his head popped out from under the covers. Where had the cheerful, playful Harry gone to?

Severus moved down into the covers so that he was lying next to Harry. Under the duvet, he clasped Harry's hand in his. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

Harry bit his lip before answering. "I didn't take that potion you gave me last week."

Oh. Severus didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. Only last week had he been thinking about what it would be like to be a father and now here Harry was, telling him that there was a possibility that that could come true. He didn't know whether to be happy or terrified. But he certainly wasn't angry like Harry had thought he would be.

He looked at Harry who seemed to have shrunk back into the covers. Obviously, his silence had scared him.

"Why did you think I would be mad at you?" he asked. He hoped he hadn't said or done anything to Harry to make him think that!

"Well," he said, "I just don't know what you want. We haven't really talked about having children together. I didn't know how you'd take it."

"I certainly wouldn't be mad at you," he said softly.

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not," he said. "If you're pregnant then it's as much my doing as it is yours."

"But I should have taken that potion," Harry protested.

"I gave you a choice," Severus reminded him. "You didn't have to take it if you didn't feel comfortable."

Harry was silent before asking, "What if I am?"

Severus wasn't entirely sure how to respond to that. He knew he had to reassure Harry, but how? By telling him they would get through it? There was so much more to consider – September was almost upon them and Severus had to return to Hogwarts. If he was to be a father, he needed to be there full-time. The sensible thing to do, however, was to take it step by step. First, they needed to find out if Harry was indeed pregnant.

* * *

**A/N:** I had something totally different planned for this chapter but then I had a bad week and didn't feel like writing, so when I actually did get round to it, it came out as a load of mushy poop, lol. Oh well. I tried. And sorry for the long wait! I have the next chapter done already but I just want to go over it and add things before I post it, so hopefully that should be up in a few days time.

Thank you for your reviews, they all made me smile!


	6. Extending the Family

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Six: Extending the Family**

"And all I have to do is wee in it?" came Harry's voice through the bathroom door.

"That's what it says," Severus told him. He lifted his eyes away from the parchment in his hand and looked at the closed door. He moved over. "Are you peeing? I don't hear any peeing."

"Well I'm not gonna go with you listening at the door, am I!"

Severus rolled his eyes and turned away in favour of wandering about bedroom in an attempt to wear out the excess energy that had built up. He'd just come through a war and yet he didn't think he'd ever been as nervous as he was right now. With a frustrated sigh, he collapsed onto the bed and re-read the parchment. "_If the cup glows red, you are pregnant and should consult a Healer. If the cup glows green then you are not pregnant._"

He couldn't quite believe what was happening. It was just so surreal. Now that he came to think about it, their whole relationship was surreal. Officially, they had been (dare he say it?) _dating_ for little over a month – that is, if you didn't count the time before the big break up. If you did count that time….well…things were never as simple as they should be. It was a miracle they were still together after everything that had happened. Rejection, a war, a miscarriage. And just when things had reached a point where their life could be considered somewhat 'normal'...

Severus snorted. Things would never be normal. Not for a former Death Eater and certainly never for Harry Potter.

After his confession last night, the poor boy hadn't been able to sleep and things hadn't been any better for Severus. He'd spent the entire night staring at some dark corner of the room, trying to convince himself that he _wasn't_ happy with Harry's news. One month into their steady relationship was far too early to hear the word 'pregnant'. Especially as it had all happened before.

He just prayed it didn't go the same way.

Severus wanted a baby – he'd already discovered that about himself a week ago. What he'd failed to do was to find out if Harry wanted one. He knew the boy wanted one _eventually_, but how did he feel about having one now, so soon after the miscarriage? And was their relationship strong enough to deal with something so big?

He remembered picturing Harry rocking a little baby to sleep and he suddenly felt very guilty for ever wanting that. He'd thought about loving the baby and bringing the child up…but it hadn't even crossed his mind how the actual pregnancy would affect Harry. Was his lover over the miscarriage? Was he prepared to carry a child?

Was it selfish of Severus to want this so much? He'd told himself again and again that there was no hurry to begin a family…but he was almost 40 now. James Potter had fathered a child at 21 and that child had grown up to be the most remarkable young man…It scared him slightly to know that, were he alive, James Potter would be the grandfather to his child.

He was a generation behind everyone else.

Well, almost everyone…Black and Lupin were right in there with him.

And with that thought, he groaned miserably into his hands but at the sound of a door clicking open, he quickly looked up again. Harry had reappeared. He was holding out a glowing cup.

"What does red mean?" he asked.

Severus starred at Harry. When the boy moved towards him, he swallowed and looked back down at the parchment in his motionless hand. He didn't need to read it again to know the answer.

"Severus?" The poor boy looked so young, so vulnerable.

He wet his lips with his tongue before replying.

"You're pregnant," he said.

* * *

Harry wasn't disappointed. He wasn't frightened either. However, the reason he was currently curled up outside on the white plastic chair was because he was worried; worried and avoiding Severus.

At what point in their relationship had they stopped talking to one another? When they had first gotten together, Harry had pretty much figured out what Severus Snape was all about; all he'd had to do was look him in the eye to know what he was thinking. But looking back, Harry couldn't remember the last time that had happened. Sure, they had fun together and yes, they enjoyed each other's company; he loved Severus and he knew the man loved him in return. But without his noticing, things that changed; Severus had changed.

It slowly occurred to him that he no longer had any idea what Severus wanted.

Well, Harry wanted this baby. He didn't care about what people would say; he didn't care what Sirius or Hermione or Dumbledore would say. Harry wanted this baby and he was going to do his damn best to make sure Severus wanted this baby as well.

He regretted not discussing these sorts of issues with Severus. They'd already been through so much in such a short amount of time. On some level they needed to reconnect. They needed to find that understanding that had brought them together in the first place.

It was funny how being pregnant made Harry feel more grown up than ever. He suddenly felt responsible for so many things. He knew he had to be the one to approach Severus this time.

* * *

Severus was sat on the floor with his back against the bed when Harry entered the room. Sat open in his lap was a large, tattered book and next to him lay a dusty old cardboard box. The man kept his eyes firmly fixed on the page as Harry crossed the room.

As Severus slowly turned the pages, Harry realised that the book was, in fact, an old photo album. Some of the pictures, he noticed, weren't moving…the occupants of the photograph forever frozen in their poses. It was strange to Harry to think that Professor Snape came from a muggle line as much as he did from a wizarding one. There were so many witches and wizards out there who hadn't a clue what a simple thing like a television or a computer was; they didn't know what it was like to cook without magic or to clean their houses manually. It was just natural for people to assume Professor Snape was one of those. It was easy to forget that Severus was a half-blood.

Harry found himself wondering what had happened to Tobias Snape. Had he known his wife and son belonged to a whole other world? He remembered back to an Occlumency lesson where he'd had accidental access to Severus' childhood, the hook-nosed man shouting at the woman…

He was suddenly struck with an urge to find out more.

"Your mum?" he asked quietly, nodding towards one of the moving photo's. A young pregnant woman of around twenty-five stared up at them with a bored expression. Harry recognised her face from a paper Hermione had shown him once.

"My mother," Severus confirmed.

"Eileen Prince."

Severus turned to him with surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Long story," Harry said, dismissing it with a shake of his head. He paused for a moment before asking, "What happened to her?"

Severus sighed and turned his attention back to the photographs. "I don't know," he said simply. "I haven't spoken to her since I left school."

"Why not?"

Severus didn't answer. Instead, he reached out to turn to the next page but Harry covered his hand with his. Their eyes connected.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked.

Harry smiled sadly at him and Severus ran his hands wearily over his face.

"I haven't spoken to her," Severus said, "because I could never understand her."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, puzzled.

"I couldn't understand why she stayed with my father," he explained and his expression became guarded. "All he ever did was drink and shout. He was forever insulting her and calling her names. Sometimes he even became violent towards her. I never understood why she stayed with him." He looked at Harry. "Not once did she raise her wand to defend herself."

"Severus…" He didn't know what to say. He'd known he'd had a relatively nasty childhood but he'd always believed that had been mainly down to Sirius Black and James Potter. He couldn't imagine what growing up at home must have been like for him.

"I remember coming home one summer and pleading with her to leave him," Severus continued. "She got so angry at me for suggesting such a thing. I told her she should use magic against him but she wouldn't hear of it. 'I love him,' she said. 'I would never hurt him.'"

Severus stopped and turned over to the next page of moving photographs. Most of them pictured a baby; the nose and the dark eyes told Harry that this was Severus. In one of them he lay fast asleep in his wooden cot, one hand clutched around a grey teddy bear.

Harry's hand absently went to his own stomach and he lay his head on Severus' shoulder.

As Severus turned the pages, Harry caught glimpses of people he assumed were relatives. Once or twice he came across a tall man who might have been Tobias Snape, but Harry didn't like to ask. When he saw a picture of a baby Severus sitting in the lap of a hook-nosed young girl though, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Who's she?" he asked, pointing at the muggle photograph.

"She is my sister," Severus told him. "Or my half-sister at least. She's from my father's first marriage. She lived with her mother so I hardly ever saw her."

Harry frowned at the photo and sat up. He didn't know why, but it shocked him to learn that Severus had a muggle sister. It had been stupid really to assume that his former professor had no family – but then again he'd thought that about all of his professors. Apart from Dumbledore's brother, no ones family had ever been mentioned.

"Why don't you ever tell me these things?" Harry asked, feeling rather hurt all of a sudden.

Severus was confused. "I wasn't aware you needed to know," he said.

"I don't _need_ to," he replied, "But I'd like to."

"Why though?"

"Because it's important to me," Harry told him sincerely. "I'm _pregnant_, Severus. We're having a baby…and yet we don't talk anymore, not like we used to." He reached out a hand and turned Severus' face towards him. It took a moment for Severus' eyes to meet his and when they did Harry was disappointed to find an empty gaze staring back at him. He let his hand drop.

"I'm not a mind reader, Severus," he said quietly. "I can't tell what you're thinking."

Severus snorted. "You used to be so good at that," he scoffed.

"Not anymore! Ever since we got together again…it's like you've closed yourself off to me. You've withdrawn."

Severus didn't respond.

"I know you love me," Harry continued firmly, "Of that I'm sure. And I know you don't want to hurt me. But you _must_ have noticed that we don't talk about our feelings anymore. Before we got together I knew you so well. But now…Severus, we're having a baby together and I haven't any idea of how you feel about that!"

"Well I'm sorry if I annoy you Harry, but you knew what I was like this before any of this happened!"

Severus snapped the photo album shut and flung it into the box before getting to his feet.

"Don't expect me to change Potter, because it's not going to happen!"

"You don't annoy me!" said Harry, quickly following Severus over to the door. "We have so much fun together and I love you and I wouldn't change a thing! We just need to communicate more. I need to know how you feel about things; I can't guess!"

"Harry," he said angrily, "you are causing an argument out of nothing here!"

"Don't yell at me!"

At Harry's shout, Severus stopped moving and he turned back to look at the young man. He was stood with his arms by his sides, his hands clenched into tight fists. Slowly, under Severus' stare, he began to fidget uncomfortably and he folded his arms across his chest in protective manner that left him looking entirely vulnerable. Severus sighed tiredly and rubbed a hand over his temple before moving over to Harry.

The boy had a point, he realised. Ever since they'd gotten back together in June, Severus had been guarded about his thoughts and feelings. He'd already let Harry be privy to so much; back at Hogwarts, the young man had been excellent at reading him. But back then, he'd thought it had been a school boy crush that would soon be over. When, however, it became apparent that it wasn't, Severus had felt that some privacy was needed – he didn't want to overwhelm the boy!

Severus didn't want Harry to know how much he needed him. He didn't want him to know how much he looked forward to seeing him each day. If Harry knew how much Severus depended on having him in his life then surely that would frighten him away. He knew Harry loved him and he believed him every time he said it, but inside, Severus was still waiting for the day when Harry realised that there were plenty of better-qualified men out there. As each day rolled by, he became more and more attached to him, thus causing him to self-consciously withdraw. He cursed himself everyday for doing it.

And now Harry had brought the subject up and it appeared Severus' insecurities had cut him deeply. He'd never wanted to hurt Harry. He'd thought Harry had known how he'd felt, and in a way he did. But this…he'd thought Harry had had more sense.

Softly, he brought his arms up and pulled Harry to him in what he hoped was a reassuring hug.

"If you wanted to know how I felt about something then all you had to do was ask," he told him gently. He placed an affectionate kiss to the top of his head. "You silly bugger."

Harry's body shook slightly as he chuckled against Severus' chest. His arms tightened around him and he lifted his head so he could see.

"How do you feel about having a baby?" he asked with a tired smile.

Severus' eyes lit up. "I can't wait," he said in all honesty.

Harry laughed quietly again and buried his head against Severus' strong body.

"Was this our first argument?" he asked curiously.

Severus grunted in amusement. "If you don't want to count all that arguing that happened at Hogwarts then yes, I suppose it is."

"Do you still love me?" Harry murmured.

"One argument isn't going to change that," he assured him.

"That's good to know. 'Cause I can see us having lots more."

"We wouldn't be human if we didn't."

* * *

Harry and Severus decided upon an early night that night, seeing as how they'd spent the previous one quietly worrying over Harry's little confession. Now that they'd spoken though, Harry seemed a lot more relaxed and for that, Severus was grateful. He hated having to explain why he was the way he was. It didn't have anything to do with his past or events that had happened; no – he was simply this way because that was him; he'd always been a cautious person. He was thankful that Harry accepted him that way.

There was movement beside him and he turned to see that Harry had propped himself up on one elbow and was looking at Severus carefully.

"What?" he asked.

"Your mum."

Severus shrugged. "What about her?"

Harry seemed to hesitate before continuing. "You really haven't made contact with her since you left school?"

"I haven't had reason to want to," he told him.

"But she's your mother," he pressed on. "Surely that means something to you?"

Severus swallowed. "Not really," he said tightly.

"Just because you didn't agree with the way she handled things back then, doesn't give you reason to hate her."

"I don't hate her. We simply keep our distance from one another. We have nothing to talk about."

Harry almost laughed. "You have plenty to talk about! You haven't seen her in over 20 years! Does she know you're a teacher? Does she know how you've risked your life to get information on Voldemort?"

Severus smiled flatly. "She doesn't need to know those things."

"Then tell her she's going to be a grandmother!" Harry said desperately. "Don't you think she should know that?"

"Why?" he snapped. "She's not going to be in the child's life!"

"How do you know that?"

"Because I don't want her there!"

Severus became aware that his voice had risen to a shout and he immediately checked Harry to make sure he hadn't accidentally upset him again. If anything though, Harry seemed disappointed.

He couldn't understand why Harry was pressing on with the matter. Severus would never force Harry to get in contact with his miserable relatives and he would very much appreciate it if Harry showed the same courtesy. If he wanted to visit his mother then he would do so in his own time.

"What has she ever done wrong?" Harry asked sternly. Severus didn't answer. He couldn't.

"If I go through nine months of pregnancy," Harry said, "If I give birth to this baby…then I want that child to have a grandparent."

"I haven't seen her in 21 years," he argued. "I can't just turn up!"

"Won't she be happy to see you again?"

With a small smile, he shook his head absently and closed his eyes. "If I tell her about the baby then she's going to want to meet you," he said slowly.

"So?"

"_So_," he said, "If she meets you, she'll know I'm gay."

Harry was quiet for a moment as he thought through what had been said and Severus found himself sorely tempted to use occlumency on him to find out what the other man made of it all. He hated it when people tried to see the best in people and he was immensely glad that Harry wasn't the type to do so. Here Harry was just trying to do what he thought was best for Severus and he had to admit that he _did_ have a point. But could he really face seeing his mother again?

The only reason he'd stopped visiting her was because he hadn't been able to bear watching her being pushed around. He'd worn himself out trying to make her see sense and in the end he'd simply given up and walked away. He'd spent years pretending that she was alright – it had been so much easier than witnessing the truth. He'd told himself that because he wasn't around, his father would be much calmer. But as the years had gone by, he'd been haunted by the obvious knowledge that he'd abandoned her and left her to her husband's devices. By the time the old man had died, too many years had passed to even think about a reconciliation. It would mean admitting that he had been scared. He'd been a coward.

"Would your being gay be a problem for her?" Harry asked.

Severus shook himself out of his thoughts. "I don't know," he said, sighing. "I can't see her again Harry. It's been too long."

"I understand that," said Harry. "But you'll regret it if you don't. Please," he said, "Talk to her. If not for you then for the baby."

Despite being set against the idea, Severus considered Harry's words. If it had been anyone else telling him to get in touch with his mother then he would have snapped at them to mind their own business. But this matter seemed very important to Harry and Severus thought he understood why. After everything Harry had been through, all he wanted was for everything else to run smoothly. He seemed to be ignoring the possibility that this second pregnancy could all end in tears as well. It seemed to him that Harry had convinced himself that it would all work out; they would be parents and he wanted their child to have a grandparent. He was building everything up around him and Severus couldn't help but worry that if, _God forbid_, something happened then Harry was just setting himself up for a greater fall.

"If I promise to think about it, will you let it go?" he asked heavily.

"I will," Harry promised. He kissed Severus on the cheek. "Thank you."

Severus just grunted in response and rearranged the cushions on the bed into a more comfortable position. His head had barely hit the soft pillows when Harry said his name.

"What now?" he asked, turning again to look at the boy. The lack of sleep was slowly making him irritable and he was struggling to keep his temper in check now.

"I was just wondering what was going to happen once September was here," Harry said in a small voice. Severus felt his temper lesson slightly.

"I'm staying here," he said. "With you."

"But what about your job? Severus, you've worked there for –"

"Too long," he finished the sentence for him.

"You can't quit," said Harry. "I won't let you."

"I wasn't going to quit. I was simply going to ask for some time off."

"It's a lot of time off to ask for," Harry pointed out.

"Three years to be exact," said Severus; he'd already thought through all of this before he'd even known Harry was pregnant and had come to the quick decision that he was not going to miss out on anything. When those three years were up, he'd just decide whether he wanted to go back or not.

"Three years? Severus –"

"Harry," he warned.

"Well, what about Dumbledore?" Harry tried. "If you take three years off, he's going to want to know why, and when I start to show it's gonna be pretty obvious to him."

"It'll be pretty obvious to everyone," Severus stated and with that, an image of Lupin and Black floated into his mind. Back when they had found out about Harry's miscarriage, they had held back on asking proving questions. This time, however, they were bound to want to know who Harry had been sleeping with. Severus wasn't sure if Harry would be able to keep it from them. That meant there was only one thing for it.

Harry seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

"We need to tell them," he said. Severus nodded in agreement. Telling them, however, was a hell of a lot easier said than done.

* * *

**A/N:** Now I know I said this was going to be posted a few days after the last one but I have a really good excuse for not being able to do that.

Me, my mum, and my brothers went for a walk last week and my little brother thought it would be just _absolutely hilarious_ to push me off a wall. Needless to say, I wasn't laughing. I ended up having to go to hospital with a broken arm! Luckily, I'm right handed and it was my left that got broken, but it still takes twice as long to do anything. It's also a complete pain in the arse! It was my friends 19th birthday yesterday as well and she wanted to go out drinking to celebrate. Have you ever tried going clubbing with your arm in a sling? It was terrible, I looked bloody ridiculous! lol, but on the plus side I did get a few phone numbers written on me!

Anyways, I hope you're all having a nice May! 'Tis nearly June which means I have 51 days to get this finished! I can't see it happening myself, but you never know!


	7. Family Feud

**Rating:** M 

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Family Feud**

"Sirius, I need to tell you something." Harry paused and looked up at the figure staring back at him. He wasn't anywhere near as nervous as he'd thought he would be. In fact, he felt rather calm; he loved Severus and that wasn't something to be ashamed of. They were going to have a baby together and Harry was going to prove to Sirius that he was a responsible grownup – and a good way to start that was to have a mature, grownup conversation with him.

He straightened himself up to his full height and took a deep breath.

"I'm sleeping with Severus Snape and I'm pregnant again."

There, there hadn't been so bad.

Now if only he could say that to Sirius and not his damn mirror.

He turned away from his reflection and collapsed onto his bed.

Having spent the last two days at Severus' house, he was now back in London at Grimmauld Place. He'd told Sirius and Remus that he'd been staying at Hermione's house as he knew his friend would cover for him without hesitation. However, that still didn't stop them from asking questions and Harry couldn't really blame them anymore. Ever since he'd returned from his holiday he _had_ spent a lot of time over at Severus' place. Too much in fact. He still had un-read fan mail waiting for him at Hogwarts and he was yet to give the interview he'd promised the members of the Order he'd give; the world wanted to hear from him and he didn't want them to think he was being rude, no matter how much he wanted to be left in peace.

Fame and power did have its perks though, he thought wearily to himself. For instance, the paper hadn't printed a thing about Harry's little outburst in Diagon Alley the other week. Harry supposed it had something to do with the Minister – maybe he'd finally come to his senses and had decided to go easy on Harry, seeing as how, you know, he'd saved the world and all.

"I have such a bizarre life," he muttered to himself.

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Severus!" Harry grinned and sat up at the sound of his lover's voice. "I didn't hear you arrive. What are you doing here?"

Severus came over to the bed but instead of kissing Harry, he scoffed playfully. "So you can come over to my house whenever you damn well please, but when I stop by here I need a reason?"

Harry rolled his eyes and swatted Severus on the arm. "I'm just surprised to see you is all. You said you were going to talk to Dumbledore."

"I already have," he told him.

Harry kneeled up. "How'd it go then?"

"It went fine," he said, sitting down next to Harry. "He's going to bring an old friend of his out of retirement to teach the kids for the next few years – my old Potions teacher in fact; Horace Slughorn. When I'm ready to come back then all I have to do is tell him."

"Wow," said Harry. "I hadn't thought it would be that easy, especially as it's so close to the start of the school year. And all you have to do is tell him when you're ready to come back?

"That's what he said," nodded Severus. "And I know Slughorn won't mind when the time comes; he loves being a retired man. He's only agreeing to teach again because he owes Dumbledore a favour or two."

"Well…I guess that's that sorted then," he said slowly. "Did Dumbledore ask why you wanted three years off?"

"Naturally," Severus said. "Although I didn't tell him. He knew it was something to do with our relationship though. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew exactly what."

"Everyone's going to know sooner or later anyway," said Harry. "We can't hide it forever."

"Speaking of which…" he started slowly. He turned and looked Harry in the eye, who sighed and flopped across the bed again.

"I'm gonna do it today," he told him, although he sounded as if he were trying to convince himself. "The sooner the better. I want to get it out of the way."

Severus nodded absently but was silent as he turned away.

Harry stared up at the ceiling.

Many people may not have understood why Harry felt it was so important to confide in Sirius. He was, after all, just his godfather; millions of people had godfathers and for the most of them it was simply just a title – a friendly gesture parents bestowed upon their best friends. Ron had a godmother but he couldn't ever remember meeting her, and Hermione hadn't spoken to her godparents in years. But for Harry, 'godfather' meant something.

It meant a lot to him that Sirius was the person that his parents had entrusted to look after Harry should anything ever happen to them. And back then, when people were living in fear for their lives, Harry suspected that the role of a godparent would have been taken seriously, especially by the people who were in the middle of a war with a Dark Lord.

Harry knew that Sirius wasn't looking out for him because he felt he was obligated to do so though – Sirius genuinely cared for him and he took his role as godfather as more than just a title. Lily and James had trusted him to look out for their son and now that he was able to do so he was making sure he did a pretty damn good job.

And even though Harry had complained once or twice about his over protectiveness, he was honestly glad that Sirius wanted to be there. There were a few adult males in Harry's life already – Severus, Mr Weasley, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and even his Uncle Vernon – but Harry had never been entirely comfortable opening up to any of them, (except perhaps Severus of course, but he was his boyfriend so that was different.) Hagrid was more like a friendly uncle than anything and Dumbledore had transformed quickly from being just his Headmaster to a sort of long lost grandfather. And Mr Weasley, despite his paternal instincts towards Harry, was, and always would be, Ron's dad. But Sirius, once a stranger, now played a dominant role in Harry's life and Harry knew he could one day be the father figure he was looking for, along with Remus.

Harry tore his eyes away from his bedroom ceiling and turned his head slightly to look at Severus. He was still sat staring across the room. It was a while longer before he spoke.

"Do you…do you want me to come with you? Tell them together?"

A smile broke out onto Harry's face when Severus said this and he rolled over onto his stomach.

"You'd really do that for me?" he asked, beaming.

"If you wanted me there," he replied.

Harry's smile widened and he was about to except the offer when reality kicked in. He smiled sadly and lay a hand on Severus' arm.

"I think its best I tell them on my own," he said. "If you're there when I break the news, Sirius will probably hex you without a second thought."

"I am quite capable of defending myself against that flea infested dog, thank you very much," he sneered.

"Even so," said Harry, "I still think its best coming from me. And he hasn't got fleas," he added as an afterthought, defending his godfather. "He's rather clean actually."

Severus looked like he was going to retort but thought better of it. Instead, he shook his head and got to his feet.

"I have to be going," he said. "I have a few things to sort out."

"What things?" asked Harry.

"Just things." He looked down at Harry. "Shall I expect you tonight?"

"Probably. I can't really see things going as smoothly as I hope they will."

"You sure you don't want me there?"

Harry quickly had to fight off the temptation to beg Severus to stay with him. He knew it wasn't a good idea to have the man there and he wasn't entirely sure that he'd be able to fend off an angry Sirius.

"Nah, I'll be fine," he said. He pulled himself up so that he was kneeling on the bed. "Do I get a kiss before you go?"

"Of course," said Severus. He leant in and planted a soft, lingering peck on Harry's lips. "Good luck," he whispered, and with that he pulled away and vanished into the fire.

"I'm gonna need it," Harry muttered.

* * *

Harry tiptoed down the staircase and made his way quietly and steadily across the polished hall. Ahead, a light crept around the gap in the wooden door that led to the living room. They were in there.

Harry carefully approached, but then from outside came the sudden noise of a car door shutting and he jumped half a mile in the air. Damning the muggles, he glared at the closed front door.

Why was the Black residence situated in a street full of muggles anyway? Hadn't Mrs Black hated them?

Shaking his head and trying to calm himself, he found he didn't care. All that mattered was that he get his heartbeat to return to normal again. He shouldn't be this nervous. It was utterly ridiculous! Sirius and Remus were both reasonable people. Well, Remus was anyway.

He reached the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open wide enough for him to slip passed. His hand moved to close the door behind him but he thought better of it and left it open – it was easier to escape that way.

Remus had looked up when he'd entered the room and he smiled at Harry before returning his attention to the game of chess he had going with Sirius, who, Harry noticed, was wrapped in his dressing gown. That was good, Harry noted mentally; there was less chance of Sirius following him when he was only half dressed.

Harry stood quietly as Remus ordered his bishop forwards diagonally two squares. After sweeping the board quickly with his eyes, Sirius smirked.

"Queen to D4," he said and they all watched as the black Queen slid across the board and began hitting the bishop forcefully over the head with her crown. The bishop wailed and shielded itself with its arms before turning and running from the board. The Queen folded her arms and mirrored Sirius' smirk.

"You have cowardly pieces Remus," said Sirius conversationally, picking the squirming bishop up and dropping him onto the sofa.

"That's because your pieces are nothing but bullies," Remus sulked. He looked back up at Harry with a smile though. "Alright there?"

Harry found his voice. "Yeah," he said. "I was just…well…you know…Can I talk to you both for a sec?"

Sirius was looking over at him now. "Sure Harry," he said. He patted the space next to him; "Come have a seat. Remus and I can finish this game later." Harry was sure he heard Sirius' chess pieces cackle with evil glee. He ignored it and sat himself on the arm of the sofa, away from Sirius.

"It's about when I went on holiday," he said, carefully picking his words. "I sort of…didn't go alone."

Sirius and Remus exchanged a look.

"We'd kind of gathered that already," Sirius admitted.

"It wasn't all that hard really, considering you've been awfully secretive since you came back," Remus added, apologetic.

"So," said Sirius with a smile, "Who'd you go with then?"

"This guy I've been seeing," he said vaguely.

"We've gathered that," Sirius said again. "But who is he? It is a _he_ right?"

"Yeah," said Harry, "Yeah, he's a he alright."

"How long have you been dating him?" Remus asked.

"A couple of months," said Harry, shrugging as if it were no big deal; it was much easier to say 'a couple of months' than it was to explain the whole on/off/on again thing. But apparently, 'a couple of months' was not what Sirius had wanted to hear.

"Wait," he said, holding up a hand. "You went on holiday with someone you've only been seeing for two months?"

"I've known him much longer," he quickly assured him. "We were at school together." Well, they _were!_

"But you were pregnant back in June," said Remus. "Was it by this guy you're with?"

Things were going rather like when he'd told Ron and Hermione, Harry noticed. _If only that would last._

"Yes," Harry said. "But we'd kind of hit a rough patch back then so…" he trailed off, unsure of whether he should have said that or not.

"What…so this guy…I mean, was he there for you through the miscarriage?"

"We're getting a little off track here," he said, trying to steer conversation away from their break-up. If they heard that Severus hadn't been there for him then there was very little chance of them learning to get along.

"Well, who is this guy then?" Sirius asked.

Harry opened his mouth but he just couldn't muster up the courage to say 'Severus'. He exhaled loudly and decided upon a different approach.

"First of all," he said, "You should know that…I'm pregnant." He cringed inwardly; God, he was so nervous! Who would think that _this_ was the boy who'd faced down Lord Voldemort?

He steeled himself and looked over at them both to try and gauge their reactions. Sirius was sat with his mouth slightly open and his eyebrows were crunched in confusion. Remus just looked mildly shocked.

"You're pregnant?" Sirius asked slowly. "Did I hear that right?"

"Yeah…"

"Harry," Remus said, sensitively, "Don't you think you're a little young for that?"

"Was it planned?" asked Sirius.

"No," he told them. "No, it wasn't planned. But it's what we want."

There was silence again as the other men let the news sink in. Eventually, Sirius spoke.

"Who is he then?" he asked, and then he smiled; "Surely we get to meet him, right? I mean, he _is_ the father of your child."

"Sure," Harry nodded, trying to sound enthusiastic at the idea, but it was such a hard thing to do when your whole body was filled with dread. The time had come and no good could come out of holding it off any longer.

"Well?" Sirius prompted.

Harry took a deep breath. "You guys aren't going to like this…"

"Harry, I promise you, if he makes you happy and you're sure its what you want…then I'm gonna be happy for you." Sirius smiled brightly at him and Harry almost believed him.

"No matter who he is?"

"I promise," he said. "Now, come on, tell us."

He closed his eyes.

"It's Severus Snape."

The silence that followed was a deafening one. Almost as deafening as when Sirius finally found his voice and bellowed "WHAT?!"

Harry's eyes flew open. "Sirius –"

"Oh, _hell_ no!"

"Sirius, you –"

"Did he force you in any way?" he asked, jumping to his feet and crossing the room, "Did he hurt you?"

"What? No, of course n –"

"So you're telling me you entered into this _willingly_?" he asked cynically.

"Yes!" said Harry desperately. "Sirius, I –"

"And you're pregnant?" he cut across, glaring at Harry.

"Yeah, I –"

"You have _Snape's baby_ growing inside you?"

"Sirius!" he shouted. "Please, just listen to me!"

"Listen to you? Harry, _you're_ the one who should be listening to _me_! You're not seeing sense." He came over to Harry and grabbed him by the arms. "I promise you, I'm gonna find out what he's done to you and then I'm gonna –"

"Stop it!" Harry yelled. He jumped up and pushed Sirius away from him. "Please, just listen to me, ok? I love him. And he loves me."

"Love?" snapped Sirius, looking at Harry as if he were crazy, "He doesn't love you Harry. He's incapable of feeling such a thing!"

"He isn't!" Harry shouted defensively. If things carried on the way they were going, he would soon be in tears. "He loves me!"

"Harry," he groaned in frustration, "He made your life hell!"

"Only because you and dad made his life hell!"

"And that justifies things?" he asked incredulously. "Harry, he's a dark wizard! There were rumours flying all over the place at school that he'd killed his grandparents!"

"Sirius, _you_ started those rumours," said Remus.

Sirius glared. "Whose side are you on here Lupin?"

Remus shrugged and waved an absent hand. Sirius turned his attention back to Harry, who flinched under his gaze.

"Two months?" he asked angrily, "You've been with him for two months? Have you forgotten how he treated you at school?" Then, suddenly, Sirius froze and Harry was pretty certain he knew why. He watched with a growing sense of apprehension as realisation dawned over Sirius' face. Behind him, Remus shifted uneasily.

"You were at school," he said softly, more to himself than Harry. He looked up. "You were at school," he repeated, stronger now. "Oh, he is so fired!"

"Sirius, please! It's not like that!" he cried. "You just said you'd be happy for me no matter who he was!"

"That was before I found out you were carrying the spawn of Satan!"

Harry gasped and clutched his stomach defensively. How could Sirius say such a thing about his baby? By now, tears were quickly rolling down his cheeks and he made no effort to wipe them away. All he wanted was to hide away, safe in Severus' arms. But instead, he was here…listening to this.

"Sirius, that was a little harsh don't you think?" Remus was saying.

"I don't care Remus. The boy has to see sense!" He whipped back round to face Harry again. "The man's taken advantage of you! Why can't you see that?"

"No," he said frantically, "No, he's not. Please listen to me."

"I can't believe this!" Sirius said, shaking his head. "Preying on innocent students! The man's a paedophile!"

"Sirius, I wouldn't go that far," said Remus.

"Well what else would you call him? The man got a school boy pregnant! What were you thinking Harry? How could you even considered sleeping with him? After everything he's done to you? After the way he's treated you? What the hell did he have to give you to get you to sleep with him?"

"He gave me his love!" Harry shouted; Sirius scoffed at the word. "I knew you'd have a problem with this! Why do you think I've left it so long to tell you? I was terrified!" And without waiting to hear a response, Harry stormed out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him. There was no way he was going to stay here and listen to this! How dare he call Severus a paedophile! Sirius knew _nothing! _

"Where do you think you're going?" Sirius shouted as he hurried into the hall after Harry.

"Where do you think!" he snapped.

"You are _not_ going to see him!"

"You can't stop me!"

"You wanna bet on that?" Sirius barked. "This is _my_ house and whilst you are here you will obey _my_ rules!"

"Then I'll move out!" Harry screamed, "I'll go and live with him!"

"Over my dead body!"

Harry growled and ran over to the front door. He reached out a hand and pulled but the door remained closed. Cursing Sirius, he ran into the kitchen to try the back door; the same thing happened. His heart was beating painfully fast in his chest and he was beginning in shake with anger. He closed his eyes tight and tried to disapparate but it was no good; there were still far too many wards on the house to allow such a thing. He opened his eyes and glanced around the kitchen.

"You're not leaving until we can talk about this properly," said Sirius, from over by the door. Harry threw such hatred into his glare that he wasn't surprised when Sirius drew back. He was through talking. He had nothing to say to him.

He pushed passed his godfather and retreated to his bedroom, making sure to slam the door forcefully behind him.

"Incendio!" he shouted at the fireplace and the empty grate erupted with flames. He reached into the dish that was sat on the mantelpiece and he through a handful of powder into the fire. Nothing happened.

He reached out and threw another handful in.

"Severus Snape's house," he commanded, but the flames remained orange.

His panic building, he darted to the large bedroom window and with all his strength he tried to open it. He pulled out his wand and blasted curse after curse at the glass. Not even a scratch.

Tears tumbled down his cheeks as he looked miserably around his room. He was well and truly trapped.

* * *

There was a tapping on his window.

"Go 'way," he muttered into his pillow, but the noise only grew louder. Annoyed, he rolled over and looked at the clock on his bedside table. He scrunched his eyes up and saw that it was just gone two in the morning. Who in their right mind would be tapping at his window at two in the morning?

He wiped at his tired, puffy eyes and got up in search of his glasses. He found them on the floor by the window. He muttered a quick spell to light his room and bent down to pick them up. The nose piece was a little crooked and it took him a moment to remember why; he'd thrown them across the room in his temper last night. He straightened up and glanced around his room. He'd thrown a lot of things across the room in his temper last night.

His desk chair lay upturned over by his wardrobe and a few stray drawers were scattered across the floor from when he'd turned his fury on his furniture. He'd overturned his school trunk and the curtains on his four poster bed were torn. He felt a twinge of guilt for destroying so much but he immediately squashed it.

Sighing, he tapped his glasses with his wand and fixed them before putting them in place and peering out of the window. Hedwig was sat on the sill outside and when she noticed him, she hooted commandingly and shook her leg, to which a letter was attached. Harry was sure that was Severus' handwriting on the envelope.

"I'm sorry Hedwig," he said to her. "I can't open the window. You're going to have to stay somewhere else tonight."

She looked at him reproachfully and took off into the night.

* * *

Severus banged his fists on the door for the umpteenth time and tried to keep himself from pulling out his wand and blasting a damn hole in the side of building. It was a sunny Saturday morning and Severus felt like he could murder just about anyone.

He'd waited and waited to hear word from Harry last night and when none had come, he'd grabbed Hedwig from her perch in his living room and had written to Harry himself. How could Harry keep him in the dark like this? Merlin knows his bloody godfather was capable of anything! Hadn't it occurred to Harry that Severus would be worried?

And so he'd sent Hedwig off with a letter to Harry and she'd returned two hours later carrying one for him. Only, it hadn't been one for him at all – it was the same damn letter! He'd yelled at the owl and had demanded she take it to him properly. Instead, she'd flown off and had perched herself in a tree outside where she'd spent the rest of the night glaring at him through his bedroom window. Damn owls.

But by the time morning had arisen, it was beginning to dawn on him that maybe she hadn't been able to deliver the letter because something was wrong. He couldn't think what though; all Harry had to do was open a bloody window! But maybe he was incapable of doing so…maybe he was hurt!

And that was all it had taken for paranoia to finally kick in. Severus wasn't a paranoid person by nature, but when it came to Harry, he was filled with the stuff. He'd flung on his clothes, grabbed his wand, and had straight to Grimmauld Place.

And that was why he was now stood outside of number 12, fists banging on the front double doors. He had his wand out and he was just about ready to hex the first person that came through the door. He hoped it was Black.

Unfortunately, it was Lupin.

"Where's Harry?" he demanded the moment the mans face appeared.

"You shouldn't be here Snape," he said uncomfortably, "If Sirius sees you…"

Severus growled. "I don't care whether that imbecile sees me or not," he said roughly, "I want to see Harry!" Just in case Lupin was thinking of closing the door, Severus put a foot in the hall.

"I think you should go," said Lupin, but before Severus could argue, a voice came from inside.

"Is that him?"

"Just go," Lupin hissed, but Severus was having none of it.

"I want to see him, Lupin!" he demanded, pushing against the door.

"It is, isn't it!" came Black's voice and before Severus could force his way in, the door was yanked fully open and a fist connected with his nose.

For a moment, all Severus could see was brightly coloured spots, but then the pain in his nose flared and he looked up to see the face of Black staring at him in disgust.

Now, Severus could have simply walked away and let the situation sort itself out. He could even have gone to Dumbledore and complained that Black was keeping his godson locked up. But Severus Snape was not going to back down from a fight with Sirius Black. He growled, brought his arm back, and landed a punch on the side of Black's face.

"Sirius!" Lupin shouted as he watched his lover stagger back, but his tone quickly changed when he sore that his lover had withdrawn his wand. "Sirius, no!"

Severus smirked maliciously and readied himself, the names of all the curses he would dearly love to use on his worst enemy zooming through his head.

Black righted himself and ran out of the house towards Severus, who took a few swift steps backwards to give himself space. The curses started flying and both men worked rapidly to defend themselves from the oncoming jets of light. Severus fired a heavy disarming curse which blasted Black into the side of a parked car. He quickly found his feet again and sent a spell hurling towards Severus, setting his robes alight. He tore the flaming robes off and continued to duel.

"Stop it!" Lupin was yelling. "Stop it, both of you!"

Naturally, they ignored him. Black shot curse after curse at him and Severus fought back with every ounce of strength he had, even throwing some of Voldemort's curses into the mix; just because he'd hated the Dark Lord didn't mean he hated his spells. There were many curses Severus would have been only too pleased to send flying at the Marauder across from him; after all the years of humiliation he'd suffered at his hands, Black had it coming to him. But as he was gathering the energy to pelt the man with more dark curses, he thought of Harry; he didn't want to cause the poor boy anymore trouble and scarring his godfather, no matter how much he wanted to, wasn't going to solve anything. Instead, he settled on just trying to humiliate Black, the way he'd done to him at school. But when Black tried to send the cruciatus curse at him, Severus lost all sense of reasoning.

"_CRUCIO!"_ he bellowed and the red beam flew straight for the other man and hit him hard in the chest. Black fell to the ground and he watched with sadistic pleasure as his body twitched and contorted in pain.

"Stop it!" Lupin screamed again and Severus' concentration shattered as he looked at him, running for Black. He rolled his eyes; surely Lupin knew that Severus wasn't planning on causing any lasting damage – he just wanted to hurt him, that was all.

But as Severus was thinking this, he realised too late that he'd accidentally let his guard down; he was hit by a curse and he immediately recognised it as he felt the effects of the cruciatus curse now tear through _his_ body, burning every fibre of his being, his body stretching, pain flaring…

He'd been under this curse far too many times though to not know how to deal with it. He gritted his teeth and stared in the direction he knew Black to be. As soon as the man came into focus, he aimed his wand and yelled his favourite; _"Sectumsempra!"_

The curse upon himself lifted and he watched as blood started to pour from Black's suddenly slashed skin. Lupin was frantic as he tried to cast healing spells on the wounded man, but nothing worked – blood streamed rapidly from the invisible wounds and soon the man was sputtering, choking, gagging…

"ENOUGH!"

Severus almost jumped out of his skin as the furious voice of Albus Dumbledore thundered around the street. Doors seemed to rattle on their hinges and windows shook in their frames.

He picked himself up off the ground and watched Dumbledore rush over to Black. It was only then that Severus got a good look at his surroundings. He was stood on the pavement leading towards number 12 and Black was stretched out in the middle of the road. The entire street was full of muggles. All of them stared, pale-faced and terrified, at the four wizards.

He raised his wand to cast a memory spell but Dumbledore, who was now finished healing Black, grabbed his arm.

"Don't you even think about casting a single spell!" he hissed in fury. "Get inside that house right now!"

"Albus," he said, "I hardly think that this is my fault."

"NOW!" he shouted and Severus cringed. For an old man, he sure could scream.

With a last miserable look around the crowded street, he shuffled up the garden path as behind him, Dumbledore turned to Black.

"You as well, Sirius," he ordered.

"What've I – "

"Don't argue with me! Just do it!"

Severus stormed into the living room and seated himself by the window. From here he was able to see what was going on back outside. A fully-healed Black was making his way towards the house, robes covered in blood. All around Dumbledore and Lupin, Obliviator's and Auror's were appearing. The muggles were soon sorted out, but the Auror's had questions they wanting answering. After they had all spoken to Dumbledore (who must have spun them some tale) they disappeared.

Severus turned his back to the window and waited, heart thumping.

Ok, so he'd made a mistake. He snorted. 'Mistake' was an understatement. He'd lost his temper and had let his power take control. But Dumbledore could hardly blame him! Black _was_ keeping his lover away from him after all!

He put his head in his hands and sighed. What was Harry going to make of all this when he heard the news? He wasn't going to happy, that was for sure. But it wasn't like Severus had had a choice really. Black had punched him! Surely no one expected Severus to just take that?

So maybe he'd gotten a little carried away with the dark magic stuff; it wasn't the end of the world! Black had been healed in time, no harm done.

He looked up when Dumbledore entered the room and he couldn't ever remember seeing the man as angry as he was right now. His eyes were ablaze with fury and his face looked absolutely livid – you could literally feel the power radiating from him.

"Sit!" he ordered at Black. Black sat.

"Well?" he asked, looking between the two of them. None of them were brave enough to answer.

"Brawling in the street!" he fumed. "Using dark magic!" His eyes snapped to Severus. "Cutting him to pieces, Severus! What were you thinking?!"

"He cast 'crucio' on me!" Severus snapped angrily.

"Only because you cast it on me first!" Black retorted.

"And you sent it at me before that!"

"SILENCE!"

They each looked at the floor.

"I don't care who started it," he said furiously. "You are both grown men! You should have known better than to use such curses!" He crossed the room and stood, imposing, in front of the fire, so that he was in between both men. "What I do want to know is _why_ this started. Care to explain?"

Severus should have known that Black would jump at the chance to incriminate him. "He turned up here, banging on the door, demanding to see Harry!" he said angrily. "He's a paedophile, did you know that?"

"You son of a bitch, I'll kill you!" Severus screamed and he jumped from the sofa, fully intent on strangling the life out of Black. He was a lot of things, he knew that; but a paedophile was certainly not one of them!

"Severus, sit," Dumbledore said, grabbing hold of him before he could reach Black.

"But he called me a –"

"I know he did," he said. He pushed Severus back into his seat and turned to face Black. "If I ever hear you say such a thing again, you will have me to answer to. Is that understood?"

"Albus, he –"

"Is that understood?"

Black sat back in his chair and folded his arms. "Yes Sir."

"Now," said Dumbledore, seeing that there were going to be no more interruptions, "Perhaps Remus could explain all of this. Remus?"

All eyes turned towards Lupin, who had been hovering over by the door, out of the way. He looked rather uncomfortable to be asked to explain the other men's behaviour, or perhaps it was because of Dumbledore's foul mood. But even as the three of them waited to hear Lupin speak, Severus realised that he still wasn't entirely sure where Harry was. He'd come to London assuming that Harry was being forcefully kept inside of the house. He'd known Harry had been planning on telling his guardians about his relationship with Severus – it was to be expected that Black would do all he could to keep them apart.

"Last night," Lupin started awkwardly, "Harry came to us. He said he needed to talk. He told us that he was in a relationship with Severus…and that he was pregnant."

Dumbledore's eyes softened at this and he looked to Severus.

"Pregnant?" he asked.

"Almost two weeks," Severus confirmed.

"Wait a minute," Black spoke, looking between the two, "You knew about them?"

Severus resisted the temptation to smirk. Dumbledore sighed.

"I did," he admitted.

"And you knew this was going on whilst they were at Hogwarts?" Lupin asked, shocked.

"No," Dumbledore said, "That bit I did not know."

"Well aren't you going to do something about it?" asked Black, demandingly.

"There's really nothing I can do," he said with a shrug.

"You can fire him!" said Black. "You can't let him get away with this!"

"Sirius," he said firmly, "They love each other."

"Oh, please!" he scoffed, "You can't tell me you believe that bullshit! No one in their right mind would love _him_."

"Sirius, that is enough," Dumbledore said sternly. Severus gritted his teeth against a retort. No matter how much he hated to admit it, it hurt like hell to hear something like that. He loved Harry with all his heart and he truly believed that Harry felt the same. But with people like Black saying things like that, doubt couldn't help but wriggle its way back into Severus' mind.

"I'm not going to sit here and be insulted," he said, standing up.

"Severus –"

"No, Albus," he snapped. "I'm sick of it! He calls me every name under the sun and the moment I do something about it, I get the blame for it!"

"No one is blaming you," he said.

"Well I've had enough," he said, ignoring him. He crossed the room and pushed passed Lupin. "I'm taking Harry and I'm leaving."

"You're not going anywhere near him!" Black shouted, suddenly on his feet.

"Oh yes I am!" he shouted back. "We're having a baby together! Do you really think someone like you is going to come between us?" And before anyone could stop him, he climbed the stairs two at a time and set off down the landing for Harry's room.

* * *

**A/N:** Urgh. So much angst in that chapter!

Anyways, I just thought I'd make a quick note about Slughorn. Obviously, this fic doesn't follow book 6 but it does have some things taken from it - the horcruxes and Severus' parents for instance. I just thought I'd best point out that, in this, Slughorn wasn't the teacher in Harry's sixth year, so he has no idea who he is. He probably won't meet him anyway. Just thought I'd say something in any case.

Thank you all for your lovely reviews! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I certainly enjoyed writing it!


	8. Love is all that Matters

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Love is all that Matters**

Severus reached the room he knew to be Harry's and slowed down his pace. He was still fuming at Black's words and was more hurt than he'd care to admit; it had taken all of his self-restraint to leave the room without causing Black some permanent damage. He still couldn't quite believe the man had called him a paedophile! The very word made him feel filthy…to be painted as such sick low-life…

Would the rest of the world view him as such? He vaguely began to wander if in dating Harry Potter he'd accidentally bitten off more than he could chew. But then he remembered that he loved the young man and the thought was immediately thrown out.

He straightened his robes and knocked on the wooden door. When there was no answer, he tried the handle and was relieved to find it unlocked. He entered.

His first thought as he surveyed the room was that a tornado had passed through. Drawers full of socks and underpants lay scattered about the room, amongst which Severus spotted several broken quills and smashed ink pots. One of the wardrobe doors was hanging precariously off its hinges and a chair lay overturned at its foot. Severus raised an eyebrow.

"Bad night?" he asked. He found it rather adorable that his lover couldn't control his temper. Unlike himself, Harry was properly in touch with his emotions which meant that when he did things, he did it with added passion.

The boy in question was –

Severus cringed. Even though young, beautiful Harry would always be a 'boy' to Severus, it killed him to think of him as that now, for he couldn't use that word without hearing Black shouting 'paedophile' in his head. He frowned and looked at Harry.

The _man_ in question was sat, legs crossed, in the middle of his bed. He was looking at Severus as though he didn't know what to make of his presence. His eyes were red and puffy and Severus knew straight away that he'd been crying. A wave of fresh anger flooded through him.

"Did he lock you in here?" he demanded, appalled. He'd heard tales of Harry's home life back with his muggle relatives and he didn't understand how Black could do something like this.

"No," Harry said dully. "I wasn't locked in my room. Just the house."

_That still wasn't a good thing_, Severus thought in irritation.

"Harry," he said carefully, "are you ok?"

He smiled bitterly. "I've been better," he answered. Then, with more feeling, he asked, "Why did you do it?"

Severus was confused. "Do what?"

"Send that curse at Sirius."

Ah. So Harry _had_ seen it then. No doubt he'd heard the commotion and had watched the scene unfold from his bedroom window. But how was Severus to explain it all to Harry? That idiot had locked his godson in the house and yet still Harry had sympathy for him! Where was the logic in that? It irritated the hell out of him that Harry couldn't see what Black was really like.

"He started it," he said, annoyed. "I wouldn't have done anything like that if he hadn't tried to use an unforgivable on me! He could go back to prison for that, you know!"

His words seemed to rile Harry, who had now uncrossed his legs and was kneeling up on the bed. A look of incredulity was plastered on his face.

"Severus! You tried to kill him!"

_Kill! Ha! If only._

"I did not try to kill him," he said irritably, but Harry was having none of it.

"If Dumbledore hadn't have shown up, he would have died!"

Oh, yes. Dumbledore – the mighty hero; saves Black from nasty potions teacher. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

"That's ridiculous," he snapped tetchily, "Do you honestly believe that I would have left your beloved godfather waiting for death?"

"Well it certainly didn't look like you were in a hurry to save him!"

Severus snorted at this. Of course he hadn't been in a hurry to save him! It was Sirius Black – who would?

He glared, irritated at Harry. He just didn't seem to get it, did he?

"Harry," he said, quietly but with force, "You have just spent the night imprisoned inside this godforsaken house. I came here looking for you and was greeted by a rather violent Black – a Black, of whom I'll remind you, spent seven years of his life making mine a living _hell!_ I was bullied throughout Hogwarts by that _man_ you call your godfather, so forgive me for worrying when I didn't receive a letter from you saying you were alright!" His voice had risen to a shout and he was shaking slightly from the rage he felt bubbling to the surface. "I was under the impression that you needed rescuing, once again. I apologise for wasting your time!" And without letting Harry get a word in, he turned on his heel and strode swiftly towards the door. Just as he was about to open it, a pillow hit the side of his head.

He stopped his steps and froze. Then, fixing a glare in place, he turned slowly to face Harry.

"I love you," Harry said. The words melted the glare from Severus' face.

"It just upset me to see the two of you fighting like that," he explained, getting up off the bed. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost either of you."

Severus sighed, sensing that his lover needed comforting. He loved being close to Harry and being able to reassure him, but he wasn't sure just what his advice was worth. And it cases concerning _that man_ downstairs, it was practically useless.

And so he said the only thing he could think of, albeit rather awkwardly; "I wouldn't mind if you came to stay with me."

Harry perked up. "_Come to stay with you_…?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes," Severus said stiffly. "For as long as you like. I assure you, I won't mind your presence."

"_For as long as I_…Severus," he said, "Are you asking me to…you know…"

Damn Harry for making this so difficult!

He took a deep breath. Might as well get this over with.

"If you want to come and stay with me indefinitely then I wouldn't be opposed to the idea," he said shortly; "Although we may need to get bigger place as my current home is entirely too small to –"

But he never got to finish his sentence as he suddenly had an armful of emotional Harry. Damn teenagers.

* * *

Two days later, Harry and Severus decided the time was best to collect all of Harry's belongings from Grimmauld Place. It was quite a simple process as they were able to pack up almost everything with just a quick flick of a wand. 

Despite recent events, Harry was rather excitedly as he stood watching his clothes pack themselves haphazardly into the suitcases Severus had brought.

He was rather surprised by what he was feeling. He'd always imagined that moving in with a lover would be a fairly daunting process, and true, it kind of was; but he didn't feel nervous about that at all. In fact, he couldn't wait for the rest of his life to begin. He was moving in with Severus Snape and soon they would be finding a new place together, a place that was entirely their own. He couldn't keep the smile off his face when he thought about it.

"Right," said Severus, strolling in to the room, "That's all your bathroom stuff packed away. You almost finished in here?"

"Almost," said Harry, now directing his wand at his school trunk. Severus smiled and began shrinking the packed suitcases.

Soon, everything was packed away and shrunken to a manageable size and all that was left now was to move in. But one little thing was holding him back. Even though he could understand where Sirius had been coming from, the man had called his baby 'the spawn of Satan' and that wasn't something he was in a hurry to forgive him for; however, the his love for Sirius (although deeply withdrawn right now) wouldn't let him leave with saying goodbye.

Severus seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Do what you must," he said with a defeated sigh.

Harry smiled softly. "Come with me?" he asked.

"And send the man into psychotic mode again?" he snorted. "No thank you."

"Please," Harry gently pleaded. "You don't have to see him. You can just stand outside the door."

Knowing the sooner this was done, the sooner they'd be able to leave, Severus agreed. They made sure they had all the shrunken luggage in their pockets and headed down the stairs. A strong smell of cigarette smoke reached their noses and they turned the corner in to the kitchen.

Sirius was sat at the table and he looked awful. There were dark circles under his tired eyes and his hair was all on end. The grey shadows on his face told them that he had forgone shaving. He was still wearing the jeans and t-shirt he had been wearing the day he had fought with Severus, although they were now stained with a mixture of food and drink. As they watched, ash from the cigarette he was smoking fell to the table and he grunted absently.

"And I always thought his vanity would be the last thing to leave him," Severus commented and Harry could hear the smirk in his lovers voice. He ignored him.

"Sirius?" he said, coming in to the room. As was predictable, the man ignored him.

"Sirius?" he tried again. Harry was still angry at his godfather for the way he'd treated him and seeing him like this didn't help much. It appeared Sirius wasn't even making an effort to put things right again. Indeed, he was so consumed in his depression that he had let himself become _this_. Harry couldn't imagine how Remus was dealing with him.

"I just wanted to let you that I'm moving in with Severus," he informed him. "And that…I want to say 'thank you' for letting me stay here…and…I _will_ miss you, you know. And just because I'm going doesn't mean…well…" Harry had to keep hard to prevent his temper from rising. Getting a response out of Sirius was like trying to get blood from a stone!

"So, I'm going…" he continued. "I'll see you later, yeah?"

Sirius took a puff of his cigarette and blew the smoke in Harry's direction. That was the only effort he made to acknowledge his godson's presence.

And Harry suddenly found he couldn't care less.

* * *

When Harry woke up the morning after, he spent half an hour just lying in bed, gazing at Severus. He'd woken up a great number of times next to his lover, but this time was different; this time, they were live-in partners. 

He knew it had been a huge step for Severus to ask Harry to move in, and then to get a larger house together. Harry had known that them living separately once the baby arrived just wasn't practical and so he had just figured that at some point along the line, Harry would have to hint at the idea of moving in together, or else wait for Severus to bring up the point. He had never imagined that Severus would ask him in such a manner so soon though, and it pleased him beyond anything.

Harry moved his eyes away from Severus' sleeping form and looked about the room. He'd already spent so many nights in here, but now that this was their room he appreciated it all the more. It was smaller than his room had been at Grimmauld Place but that didn't bother him one bit. He could even live with the shabby wallpaper and the rickety old furniture.

Having spent the best part of the last 16 years at Hogwarts, it was understandable that Severus had let the state of his house slide a little. Why spend so much money and time on something you hardly used? Harry had been a guest in Severus' rooms at Hogwarts enough times to know that the man was extremely tidy; except for the odd item, everything had always been in its place and the décor of a room was above average standards. Harry remembered the first time he'd set foot inside of his professor's living area and had been pleasantly stunned to discover how modern and comfortable the room had looked. He knew that when they got their new house together then it would mirror that – although Harry would have to do something about the colour scheme; black furniture, even though seductively elegant, was far too depressing for a family home.

Next to him, Severus began to stir and Harry turned his eyes back to his lover. He looked so peaceful when he slept, so different to the intimidating potions professor he'd once known. Harry reached out and brushed a stray hair away from Severus' face and he found himself thinking about all the sorts of things he would love to do with him.

They'd spent practically the whole of the summer holidays together but, for some reason, they'd held themselves back in bed. Now, Harry wasn't complaining about the sex because that in itself was mind blowing. But the desire to try more things and to be a bit more adventurous was making itself known more often; the problem was, Harry was too shy to suggest such things. And given that Severus hadn't hinted at anything either, he guessed the man didn't want to make Harry feel uncomfortable…either that or Severus didn't approve of such things, but that was highly unlikely.

Severus stirred some more and Harry smiled a morning greeting at him. His eyes twinkled. Severus groaned.

"How long have you been awake?" he asked as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"A while," Harry said. He then grinned. "I have a present for you."

Severus cocked his head to one side and looked at Harry's cheeky face. "Yeah?"

"Yup," he said. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to Severus' lips. "Close your eyes."

Severus was suspicious. "Why?" he asked carefully.

"Just do it," Harry told him, smiling. Reluctantly, Severus did as he was asked.

Harry threw back the duvet and shifted himself so that he was positioned in between Severus' legs. As he wriggled into a more comfortable space, his morning erection grazed Severus' shin and the man groaned. The moment Harry placed a kiss to Severus' hip, his eyes flew open.

"Harry, you don't have to do this," he said. Harry raised a very Severus-like eyebrow and smirked.

"That's not what your cock is saying."

Severus raised himself up on his elbows, the better to see Harry.

"I don't want you to feel like you have to do this," he said. "I'll fully understand if you'd rather not."

So Harry had been right in his assumption about why Severus hadn't suggested anything; he wanted it but didn't want to make Harry feel uncomfortable. Harry excitedly wondered what else his lover would enjoy in bed.

"Severus," he said, looking his in the face, "I love you. I want to taste every inch of you. So please, lay back, shut up, and let me suck you off."

And that was exactly what Severus did.

* * *

It was with exceedingly high spirits that Harry set off to meet with Ron and Hermione that afternoon. He'd written to his friends the night before, saying that he wished to tell them both something, and they had sent a letter back this morning with instructions to meet outside Piccadilly Train Station in Manchester. Having never been to Manchester, it took Harry a while to successfully apparate there, and after finding himself in Birmingham city centre, and then in the middle of the Irish sea, he finally managed it. 

It was understandable that his friends had wanted to meet in a muggle place as there was less chance of being spotted, but why all the way in Manchester, he didn't know. He didn't have long to wait though, as five minutes after his arrival, he spotted Ron and Hermione coming towards him.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione gushed as soon as she was in earshot, "We heard about what happened with Sirius. I'm so sorry."

"Well, it wasn't exactly unexpected," he said as he gave her a hug. "I mean, we always knew he wasn't going to be accepting."

"But to react the way he did…" she shook her head and looked softly at Harry. "If there's anything I can do…"

"I'll be fine," Harry told her truthfully; even though he missed Sirius, he wasn't going to let him spoil what Harry had found in Severus. When his godfather wanted to talk then he would be more than willing, but until then…Harry wasn't going to be the one to make the first move. This wasn't his mess.

Determined not to let his high spirits go, he changed the subject.

"So, guys. Why Manchester?"

"Why indeed," groaned Ron as they walked. "We've been apparating all over the place since yesterday morning. Liverpool, Oxford, Glasgow, you name it. We were in Bournemouth this morning."

"Why all the travelling?" he asked his friends.

"Hermione's 'on business'," he said mockingly. Harry laughed; he should have known that it would have something to do with Hermione and her quest to find her perfect job. Ever since their exams had finished, it was all she'd been focused on. Even the arrangements for her wedding had taken a back seat.

"Any luck?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Not really," she said, "Although I am a lot closer to figuring out what sort of career I would like."

"Let me guess," said Harry, as they crossed over the road, "You want to do something worthwhile." He rolled his eyes; she was always the same.

"Of course," she smiled, "I just don't know what area of 'do-gooding' I want to be working in. Part of me wants to help animals and creatures wrongly deemed as 'beasts', but I know that I'd do a much better job working in the Department of Law Enforcement," she explained. "But I'm really not comfortable being a part of the Ministry whilst it's in its current state. Which was why I was looking into working for a local magical council."

"There are local councils?" asked Harry. "I thought there was just the Ministry."

"Of course not," she said as if everyone knew that already. He looked at Ron, who just shook his head behind her back. Harry couldn't help but admire his friend for putting up with his crazy fiancé.

They had now reached a long, cobbled street on to which many bars, clubs, and restaurants opened up on to. As it was a hot, sunny, summer's day, the street was pretty crowded and they had to stop their conversation as they pushed through the many young men gathered about. Finally, after they had crossed another road, they came to the other half of the connecting cobbled street, which was thankfully less populated.

Harry and Ron followed Hermione over to a table outdoors.

"So what about you Ron?" Harry asked, sitting down and trying to ignore the cute guy who had just passed their table. "Have you applied anywhere?"

"Yep," he said proudly. "I've applied to be an Auror. I know I got that A in Potions but Fred and George convinced me to use my position in the Order to see where it would get me."

"Yes," muttered Hermione, disapprovingly. "And you know what I think of that don't you? Tell him it's wrong, Harry."

"Well," said Harry, "If it gets Ron a good job…"

Ron laughed and clapped his friend on the back. They all knew Harry wouldn't use his own fame like that, but he didn't see a problem with Ron using his newly acquired own.

"So what did you want to tell us?" Hermione asked, not wanting to cause an argument by pressing the issue.

Harry smiled brightly.

"Well," he said, slowly for effect. "I'm two weeks pregnant. And before you ask," he hurried to add, "No, it wasn't planned, yes, Severus and I are really happy, and yes, Sirius and Remus do know. Oh! And I've moved in with Severus and we're getting a new house together."

By the time he had finished, he couldn't get rid of the smile that was on his face and he wouldn't want to. It felt good to hear it like that, all together. And despite Sirius' reaction, thing's had turned out pretty well concerning his love life.

"So," he asked, looking expectantly at his friends, "What do you think?"

If he heard the words 'too soon' or 'too young' then he was sure he'd go crazy. He waited, silently, hoping.

"I'm happy for you Harry," Hermione smiled. "Truly, I am."

That was all he'd wanted to hear.

* * *

"How was your day?" Severus asked later that night. Harry smiled and put aside the pregnancy magazine he'd been reading. 

"It was fantastic," he told him. "Ron and Hermione were really happy for me."

"I'm glad thing's work out," Severus smiled at him.

"Me too," said Harry. "So what about you? Did you enjoy your day?"

"It was alright," he said. "I stopped by Hogwarts to clear out my room so we're going to have to rearrange some stuff around to fit everything in."

"I have nothing on tomorrow so we could do it then."

"Sure," Severus nodded. Harry smiled at him before turning back to his magazine. It was nice, he thought to himself, just sitting in bed and chatting idly about the day.

Has Harry casually flicked through the pages, he noticed Severus leave and then re-enter the room, this time bringing a white plastic carrier bag with him.

"I got something for the baby today," said Severus, sitting next to Harry on the bed that night.

"You did?" Harry smiled, placing the magazine aside again. "But we have over eight months to go yet."

"I know," said Severus, "But I was in Hogsmeade and I walked passed this new baby shop and I couldn't resist."

And out of the shopping bag he pulled a white teddy, the shape of an owl.

"Awww, that is so cute!" Harry cooed, taking the teddy in his arms. "Oh, that's adorable. It's a mini-Hedwig! The baby will love it." He placed a kiss on the teddy's head before looking up at Severus with puppy-eyes. "I want one."

Severus laughed. "I thought you might say that," he smiled, "Which is why…" he reached into the bag, "I got two!"

With a huge smile on his face, Harry knelt up and threw his arms around Severus. "You're so thoughtful, I love you!"

So what if he didn't have Sirius? He had the world's greatest friends, an amazing boyfriend, and a baby on the way. And that was all that mattered to him.

* * *

**A/N:** I wanted to get this posted ASAP coz it was annoying me so sorry if there are mistakes in it. I did try ti check it but I have really bad heyfever right now and it just sucks. I feel like crap. Luckily I already have the next two chapters written (I tend to write random chapters before I even start the fic properly) so that's them sorted. I would post them now but Britain's Got Talent is about to start on TV and I wanna watch it, lol. And then I wont be on the computer for a few days coz I'm going to visit a friend in Ireland. But as soon as I get back I'll post them!

Oh and sorry for any added sentences or random words. The site has been adding things to it again. I think I caught them all though.

Please review!


	9. Moving On

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Moving On**

Severus was sat comfortably at the kitchen table, quill in one hand and coffee in the other, when Harry skipped in. He smiled at his lover and accepted the kiss the younger man bestowed upon him before turning his attentions back to the small pile of housing brochures sat in front of him.

With Harry almost one month pregnant, he'd decided it was best if he got a move on with finding them somewhere new to live – he couldn't imagine what it would be like to move house _and_ deal with a heavily pregnant Potter all at the same time, so the sooner the better, in his opinion.

Between them, Harry and Severus had built up in words what they would like their home to look like. Finding it though was proving a problem. So far Severus had looked through five brochures but only a few of the properties offered the necessary requirements they were after.

Severus wanted the house to have an underground room, quite like his dungeons back at Hogwarts, where he could go and brew his potions whenever Harry started to annoy him. Harry had complained at this and had pointed out that if a house was old enough to have a dungeon then it was most probably haunted. He'd gone on and on for ages, saying that 'crazy lunatics' out of every century passed must have used their underground rooms to hold people captive and the last thing he wanted was to be _"woken up late at night by the cries of tortured souls."_ Severus has just laughed, but in the end he had been made to promise to bring in an exorcist should they purchase a house with a dungeon.

Harry had also expressed his desire to have something of a modern house, complete with a large back garden and swimming pool. Severus had thought Harry had been joking about the swimming pool, but then he'd seen the serious look on his lover's face.

"A swimming?" he'd asked. "Do you know how hard it is to find a house with a swimming pool in this country?"

But Harry had just smiled and had kissed Severus on the nose and said; "If you love me, you'll find it." And that had been that.

Severus frowned as he watched the picture in the magazine begin a quick guided tour of one of the houses on the page. It was all well and good being pretty and fancy, but not one of these houses had a bloody swimming pool, and the only ones that had underground rooms were far too old fashioned for Harry's liking.

He sighed and pushed the brochure to one side.

"Any luck?" asked Harry as he poured himself a bowl of cereal.

"Not really," he said. He took a sip of his coffee and looked up. "It would help if you knew what part of the country you wanted to live in."

"I don't know," Harry shrugged, now busying himself with the milk; "Somewhere nice."

"_Somewhere nice_," Severus repeated. "Countryside nice, or city life nice?"

"I dunno," said Harry again. "Somewhere that's out of the way, but isn't in the middle of nowhere. Somewhere that's nice and friendly."

"Nice and friendly…" Severus ran his hands over his face before looking at Harry. "I'm going to have a shower," he said, getting up. "Why don't you look through some of these brochures?"

"Can't," said Harry. "I'm leaving in a minute."

Severus stopped at the sink, coffee cup in hand, as he tried to remember anything Harry might have said. When nothing came to him, to decided it was safe to ask questions.

"Why? Where you going?"

"London," he said. "I'm giving an interview."

"An interview? You never said anything to me."

"Well I only found out about it myself last night," he explained through a mouthful of cereal. "Dumbledore arranged it for me. And before you say anything about his 'meddling', I _had_ promised him that I'd give one eventually."

"Who's it with then?" he asked. "Please don't tell me it's the _Prophet_."

Harry's hand froze holding his spoon. He smiled at Severus.

"Harry!" he said indignantly.

"Oh, come on, Sev," he said lightly, "They've reported on everything else I've been through, so why not give them the final piece?"

Severus glared at the nickname, but otherwise ignored it. "Because they're a bunch of idiots, that's why!" Didn't Harry have any sense in that pretty head of his? "They'll misquote you, you know they will!"

"They won't," said Harry. "The interview is being recorded and as soon as it's finished, the device will be sent automatically to Dumbledore. So even if they do print something false, we'll have the evidence to prove it."

Even though Severus didn't agree with this, he had to admit that _was_ pretty smart. But still…the idea of Harry talking about, well, _everything_ to some complete stranger who would then tell the world…

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" he asked.

"I have to do it sometime," he reminded him. "I just want to get it over with now."

He wanted to protest and tell Harry that he didn't owe anybody anything, but he knew there was no point. If you make a promise to Dumbledore, you'd have to be incredibly dim-witted to break it.

"Just…don't say anything stupid," was his only piece of advice before he turned on his heel and stomped off to the bathroom.

* * *

"Mr Potter! Welcome!" 

Harry smiled and reached out to shake hands with the witch who had greeted him. Harry first impression was that she seemed nice, although he knew first hand that appearances could be deceiving (he _was_ dating his 'evil' professor after all!) She was dressed neatly in muggle attire – a smart grey trouser-suit to be exact, with black high-heeled shoes. Her dark wavy hair fell to her back and she tossed this over her shoulder as she indicated that Harry should sit.

"Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Juice?"

"Just a glass of water would be fine, thank you," he said politely. The woman smiled and clapped her hands together twice and a house-elf appeared. Like all house-elves, this one wasn't dressed in normal clothes, but wore a piece of light blue cloth wrapped around its thin body like a toga.

"A jug of water and two glasses, if you please Flitzy," the woman said cheerfully. The house-elf bowed and disappeared.

She then seated herself opposite Harry and pulled out the some parchment and a black feathered quill. She set them on the table in front of her, next to a small, purple disc which bore Dumbledore's many initials.

"The recording device," the woman explained, seeing him take notice. "Not that we need it, I assure you – I'm very honest in what I do. But Professor Dumbledore insisted, so…" she trailed off and smiled her bright smile at Harry again. "My name's Melinda, by the way, Melinda Graeme. But you can call me Mel. So…" she said, rubbing her hands together. "Harry Potter. How are you this morning?"

"I'm good," he said. "Yourself?"

"I'm fantastic," she said brightly, just as the house-elf reappeared. She took the tray out of its hands and poured Harry and herself a glass.

"Right," she said, handing Harry his drink. "I just want to make it clear to you that you don't have to answer any questions you feel uncomfortable with. If you don't want to answer something I ask just say 'no comment' or whatever and we'll move straight on, 'k?"

"Yeah," nodded Harry, "That's fine."

"Great," she smiled, "Let's get started then." And she tapped her wand to the purple device.

"First of all, I have to ask the question on everyone's lips; are you planning on becoming the next Dark Lord?"

Harry laughed and began to answer.

Predictably, the first several questions she asked were to do with the war, although she did cover a wide variety of areas; how had he trained for such a thing? What had been going through his mind when he'd face Voldemort? She wanted to know the exact details of the events leading up to the final confrontation and what it had been like out on the battlefield, and Harry had jumped at the chance to place everyone else in the spotlight. He explained how Professor Snape had helped him to master many spells and curses and how Ron and Hermione had refused to let him go alone. Unsurprisingly, Severus' loyalties were brought up and Harry took a moment to set the record straight, telling her of all the wonderful, brave things he had done.

She then wanted him to clear up any confusion over what had actually been happing during his seven years at Hogwarts.

"That must have been really tough," she sympathised; "Coming into a world you didn't know existed and having to deal with all that."

At some point, talk turned again to his ability to be able to cast dark spells and he explained that not once had he be tempted to use such things since that fateful day.

Harry was surprised at how easy he found it to talk about everything. It was much easier to talk about things that had happened years ago, such as the Philosophers Stone and the mystery surrounding Tom Riddle's diary, than it was to discuss Voldemort's return and everything that had brought, but it still wasn't as hard as it had used to be.

Finally, after talking for over almost two hours, she wanted to know more about his personal life. How did he cope with the fame? How had his school peers treated him? Had he had anything romance whilst at Hogwarts. He told her that, despite what the papers may have said at the time, he hadn't really ever had time to focus on relationships whilst he'd been at school.

"But what about now?" she asked with a cheeky smile; "Is there anyone special in your life at present?"

Harry thought for a moment. He'd been expecting her to ask about that. But what did he say? Did he lie and say he was single? Or did he tell everyone the truth?

If he lied then there was the possibility that Severus would be hurt; the man would deny it, of course, and would say that Harry had done the right thing, but he knew he'd be secretly hurt – what kind of person hides away their lover? And then there was the fact that everyone would think he was single – he'd already learnt from Ron about the many marriage proposals he'd apparently received, via fan mail. He wasn't entirely sure that saying he was an eligible bachelor was a smart move.

But on the other hand, telling everyone the truth would thrust Severus into the spotlight and Harry knew that was not where the man wanted to be.

It was a tough decision, but Harry knew what the best thing to do was. Living a secret for the rest of his life would not to him any good, but he couldn't divulge something like that without first consulting Severus.

"Well," said Harry slowly, "Actually, there is, yes. I am seeing someone." He couldn't help the smile that crept its way across his face.

"Really?" Melinda's face lit up at the juicy news. "Who?"

"I'm afraid I can't say," he told her. She looked like she was about to say more but Harry continued. "No, I'm not saying. Not at least yet anyway. But what I will say is that I'm really happy with his person and I love him dearly. And…well, I won't be able to hide it for long so I might as well let everyone know now…we're starting a family together. I'm three weeks pregnant."

* * *

Severus was sat on the large sofa in the living room and Harry was on the floor, his head resting comfortably on Severus' knee. Harry was busy enjoying a bowl of ice cream, but Severus held an advance copy of the next morning's Daily Prophet. The headline "HARRY POTTER'S ONLY INTERVIEW" stood out in its heavy bold print, and below that, in only slightly smaller print, were the word's "He's Pregnant!" Harry's eyes had scanned the article quickly, but Severus was now reading through it for the third time that evening. 

When Harry had returned that afternoon from the Prophet's Headquarters, he'd told Severus straight away what he'd said and what he'd left out. His lover had been quick to assure him that he wasn't angry (or hurt) in the least and that he was, in fact, quite proud of Harry for not "screwing up." As they'd both already pointed out, everyone was bound to find out about the pregnancy anyway.

And so they'd spent the rest of the day going through more housing brochures and circling the few that caught their attention. Harry was still against the dungeon idea, but he knew that with relationships came compromises and so he would just have to make do; if Severus wanted a dungeon then a dungeon Severus would get. As long as Harry got his swimming pool as well – he'd decided he liked swimming and he wanted a pool all to himself. Severus could use it if he asked nicely though.

Harry twisted his head to look at his lover.

"Are you done yet?"

"Almost," he said.

"You've already read it a thousand times," Harry whined. "Why are you reading it again?"

"I'm just making sure…"

"But I thought Severus Snape never missed a thing," he complained.

Severus lowered the paper into his lap and looked at Harry. "You have ice cream on your nose."

Harry scowled and quickly wiped it away.

"How does one even get ice cream on their nose?" Severus asked, teasing. "You do know where your mouth is, don't you?"

"Haha," he muttered. "Just hurry up with that paper. I'm bored."

It was a good five minutes until Severus eventually folded up the paper and placed it to one side. By this time, Harry had joined the other man on the sofa and had succeeded in wriggling underneath his arm.

For a moment, Severus didn't say anything; he just sat and absently stroked Harry's messy hair, who snuggled closer, enjoying the comfort.

He'd give Severus a minute to collect his thoughts. Harry knew how serious his lover took these things. Tomorrow morning, millions of people would be waking up to see the words "He's Pregnant!" flashing out at them. His stomach squirmed at the very idea.

"So was it alright?" Harry asked, "Are you happy with it all?"

Severus looked down, almost startled, as if he'd forgotten Harry was there.

"I told it, I'm fine with you revealing those things," he said.

Harry gently pushed Severus' arm aside and sat up. "What's wrong?" he asked. Severus had been awfully quiet all afternoon. Even when they'd been flicking through the numerous brochures trying to look for houses, Severus had kept his cutting comments to a minimal.

"Hey, come on," he said softly, "You can tell me."

Severus seemed to consider Harry before speaking, and when he did, his words sounded heavy. "I sent a letter to my mother a week ago."

Harry blinked. "You never said anything!"

"I know. I wasn't entirely sure whether she would respond or not. I didn't want to get your hopes up."

"_My_ hopes up?" Harry suddenly felt guilty. "Severus, I know I said I wanted our child to have a grandmother but she's _your_ mother – _you_ need to be comfortable with her."

"I understand why you want her in the baby's life," he said, "But…"

"But what?" Harry asked when Severus didn't finish.

Severus shook his head and sighed into his hands. Harry bit his lip; it wasn't very often he saw Severus look troubled.

"I just don't want you to go building this perfect little family in your head," he said. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Now Harry was getting worried. "How could I get hurt? Severus, has something happened?"

"No," Severus said. "Well, yes. I received a letter from my mother today. She wants to see me again. She wants to meet you."

Harry let out a breath of relief. "Well then, there you go," he smiled. "That good news isn't it?"

"I suppose," Severus shrugged, but his face remained crinkled with worry.

"What is it?"

It seemed to take a great effort for Severus to gather the strength to speak. "Harry," he said awkwardly, "You're just over three weeks pregnant. Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself?"

"What do you mean?" Harry asked quietly.

"The big garden for our child to play in. The swimming pool. The family neighbourhood. I just want you to remember that things don't always go to plan."

"What exactly are you saying here?" Although Harry had a pretty good idea.

"I just want you to take it easy," Severus explained. "Just…focus on being pregnant. Don't build your hopes up."

Harry looked away from Severus and fixed his eyes on the carpet. He wasn't sure if he should be angry or understanding.

How could Severus even _think_ about such a thing? Didn't he know that losing this baby was Harry's biggest worry? Didn't he realise that _that_ was the one thing Harry didn't let himself think about? Yes, he knew he wasn't being realistic wanting his perfect family and his perfect life, but at least it gave him something to work towards! At least it kept his mind from thinking about such terrible things!

Harry stood up and crossed the room.

"Where are you going?" Severus asked, concerned.

At the door, Harry stopped. He shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. He turned back round to face Severus. "Just…just don't think about such things! Everything will be alright, you have to believe that."

"Harry…"

"No. No, it will be alright. Everything will be fine, you'll see." His heart was pounding painfully as he looked at Severus.

Since he'd suspected he was pregnant, he'd been more than happy to believe everything would just fall into place for them and that they would have their perfect ending. But hearing his lover voice his concern, his doubts…he'd brought the reality of it all back and Harry could feel his illusions slowly slipping away.

"It'll be alright," he said shakily. "Don't say things like that again."

If Severus wanted to push over, he couldn't tell. He simply came over to Harry and pulled him into a warm embrace.

"When are we meeting your mum?" Harry asked, wanting desperately to change the subject and forget what had just happened.

"Whenever we like," Severus told him gently.

* * *

Harry and Severus woke up the next morning to find what looked like a hundred owls gathered in the surrounding trees, bringing with them a flood of letters. They spent the best part of the afternoon eating sandwiches and opening and reading all of the 'congratulations' from the many well-wishes out there who had read Harry's interview, delighting in the cheerful things they all had to say. 

Amongst the many polite cards and letters though, were a few howlers. Harry had been quite upset at first when he'd spotted the smoking red envelopes the owls had dropped on the floor, but, as Severus was quick to point out, it was unavoidable really. No matter who you were or what you had done, people were still going to be able to pick out certain things they didn't like about you and homophobia was always going to be a part of life. True, it wasn't as widespread as it was in the muggle world, but it was still there, ever present. But when you live in a world which has seen breeding between humans and giants (and sometimes even downright incest in the most pureblooded of families), something like two people of the same sex being in a relationship with each other didn't seem like such a big deal after all.

Most of the hate mail had come from pureblooded families and Harry thought that was very hypocritical of them, given what their idea of breeding was. However, he'd resisted the urge to write back to them, pointing out their own faults.

Severus seemed to have taken it all in his stride as well. He'd just laughed at the howlers and had rolled his eyes as the voices had prattled on about "unnatural human beings." Although, has Harry had been quick to point out, none of the howlers had been aimed at Severus, as his part in Harry's pregnancy was still unknown to the world. When _that_ bit of juicy news came out, Severus was sure to be in the firing line and _then_ they would both see how well he'd cope with that.

Harry put aside the last of the letters and looked wonderingly at Severus.

"Giants and humans," he said.

Severus looked up from his sandwich. "I'm sorry?"

"Giants and humans," Harry said again. "Hagrid is a half-giant. His mum was a giantess but his dad was a tiny man."

"So?"

"Well how would that work?" Harry asked. "How is a tiny man supposed to have sex with a huge giant woman? I mean, forget about trying to fit his dick in there, he'd be able to fit his whole body in!"

Severus stared at Harry and dropped his half-eaten sandwich back onto his plate. "Thank you for that delightful image."

"Seriously though, how does it work?" he carried on. "Someone has to know."

"Ask Hagrid," Severus suggested, pushing his plate away. "I'm sure Hagrid will know."

"Don't be silly. I can't ask Hagrid about giant sex!"

"But you can ask me?" he complained.

"You're impartial."

Severus laughed in bewilderment. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

"Because," said Harry, "It's one of life's mysteries isn't it."

If their life was going to be full of conversations like these, Severus would definitely need that dungeon to escape to.

* * *

The rest of the week went by quickly and soon it was that time of the year again when the streets were cleared of children as they all returned to school. Hermione, despite her better judgement, had bagged herself a job at the Ministry, working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, and Ron was due to begin his Auror training. Just as he'd thought they would, the Ministry had overlooked the 'A' he'd been given in Potions and had offered him a job based on his other qualifications and his status in the Order of the Phoenix. 

For the time being, Harry and Severus had put the house hunting on hold; after looking through more than enough housing brochures to last them a lifetime, it had become apparent that they weren't going to find somewhere suitable anytime in the near future. Instead, they had just decided to make do with the place they were in for the time being and had set themselves the task of decorating and livening the place up. However, as they both had such different ideas of what made a nice room, it hadn't been an easy task and, after much arguing, they had come to a decision; Severus would be in charge of the living room, bathroom, and study, and Harry would have the bedroom, kitchen, and hall. Needless to say, Severus was _not_ happy with the amount of red, purple, and white in the bedroom, not to mention the pine furniture Harry had used in his designated rooms. But to Harry, it looked warm and romantic, and he didn't give a damn what Severus said about it.

But by the end of the week, Harry couldn't ignore a nagging feeling he had. Here he was, getting on with his life; his pregnancy had been publicised, he'd made Severus' house _their home_, they had arrangements to meet Mrs Snape…everything was just happening so fast. And as much as he loved what was happening around him, even though he was enjoying himself immensely, Harry found that it was near impossible to look to the future, knowing that his godfather wouldn't be in it.

He didn't want to admit it, but he missed Sirius. He hated not being on speaking terms with him. He wanted his godfather to see what a fine young man he'd turned in to; he wanted Sirius to see how happy he was. It was an honest shame that their relationship and been affected so terribly. He'd always thought that when he had a problem he'd be able to turn to Sirius and they would figure things out together like a normal family should. But now his godfather didn't even want to know and Harry found himself wondering whether he'd still be able to cope with that a few months down the line.

* * *

**A/N:** So I get back from Ireland and I have all these emails in my inbox saying such and such a person has added this story to their alerts, but hardly any of them left reviews! lol I'll admit I have done that with fics I've read before but now its all so much harder to be a silent reader since you can now tell when you've been added instead of having to check on your profile list. But thank you to everyone who added me anyway!

Anyways, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, depending when my brothers let me on. They've taken over the computer whilst I've been away. Smelly boys.

Oh, and I'm sorry for all the spelling mistakes in that last chapter! I cringed when I spotted them all! lol. I'll have to take more care in future!


	10. Getting to Know You

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Getting to Know You**

"That's it, just bang your head on the table; damage what's left of your brain cells."

Harry stopped hitting his head on the wooden surface and glared his best glare at Severus. Completely unfazed, the other man smirked and sat down opposite.

"What's wrong with you now?" Severus asked, bored.

"As if you care," Harry muttered scathingly.

Severus bit the inside of his cheek to prevent another smirk and busied himself with the morning the paper. He knew that mood all too well and it wouldn't be long before Harry gave up the charade and spoke what was on his mind.

As he was waiting for that moment to come, he took the time to scan the first few pages of the paper he'd just picked up. The news of Harry's pregnancy was still making headlines, although it had now been bumped to page 4. Page 5 was full of letters members of the public had sent in, expressing their opinions on their hero carrying a child and speculating who the other father might be. To his horror, someone had suggested that it could be Ronald Weasley; Severus shuddered at the very thought of Harry being in bed with that obnoxious twit.

He turned to page 6 and was just scanning an article about the Order of the Phoenix when, across from him, Harry cleared his throat. Severus took that as a sign to fold away the paper and he did so, looking expectantly at Harry.

"I miss Sirius," Harry said glumly.

Severus' features suddenly hardened. "Oh."

"I know I shouldn't be thinking about him after what he did, but I can't help it," he continued. "I really miss him. I just always thought I'd have him in my life, no matter what. I guess I'm sort of having trouble getting on with things…knowing he isn't there…or that he doesn't even care…"

Severus' good mood disappeared so fast, he couldn't remember what it was like to be happy. Had he been so caught up in everything else that he'd failed to see that Harry was growing miserable? Instead of trying to find houses and worrying about visiting his mother, he should have paid Harry more attention.

Personally, he didn't see what there was to miss about Sirius Black; now that he'd been declared a free man, he was as vain as anything. And his sarcastic comments and miserable tempers weren't exactly things to miss either. But then again, Severus wasn't Harry and therefore did not see what good there was (if any) in Black.

He knew the man had become something of a father figure for Harry over the last few years and, despite Harry's complaints of over-protectiveness, they did seem to get along well with each other. And if Harry had become somewhat attached to Black's presence, then it was understandable that Harry would feel incomplete without him.

But after everything Black had said, it was also understandable that Harry should never want to talk to him again.

Severus studied Harry across from him, knowing that he should say something to comfort the poor lad, but all he could think of were cutting remarks about the godfather in question.

He decided to force his words.

"I'm sure he will come to his senses eventually."

Harry snorted. "Will he hell! He hates me."

"He doesn't hate you," he made himself say. "He's just having trouble accepting the idea of us being together."

"If he cared, he would have accepted it by now."

Severus couldn't argue with that. But he needed to be comforting right now. "Give him time," he said.

"He's had enough time!" Harry said loudly. "I just can't understand why he's still being like this. This is all because of some stupid school rivalry! He's 39 years old for crying out loud!"

"Why don't you try talking to him again?" Severus suggested.

"I don't want to talk to him," Harry said angrily. "I don't ever want to see him again."

"But you said –"

"Forget what I just said!" Harry pushed his chair back and stood up. "I'm going over to Ron's. I'll see you later."

Severus sat at the table and watched Harry storm out of the kitchen. He hadn't a clue what had just happened, but he knew there was only one way to fix it. He hated Sirius Black with a passion, but the love he felt for Harry was much stronger, and it was for this reason that Severus was prepared to venture in to London and pay the evil godfather a visit.

* * *

By the time Lupin had shown him in to the living room, Severus was having second thoughts. The plan had been to just confront Black in a firm, unimposing way; he wasn't going to raise his voice, he wasn't going to draw his wand…he was just simply going to drill some sense into the man. But when he'd entered the room and had seen Black (looking as shaggy as ever), his temper had started to boil all over again. There he was, sat by the window, wallowing in what could only be described as some self-imposed depression, ever the melodramatic.

This annoyed him for two reasons. Firstly, Harry was the only one allowed to be melodramatic – it suited him! But secondly, and most importantly - hadn't it occurred to Black that _Harry_ was the injured party in all of this?

It had been two weeks since Harry and Sirius had argued and Severus had assumed that Harry had been getting along fine without him. But the more time went by, the more Harry would feel his absence; it was probably for the best if it was sorted out now rather than later.

Severus cleared his throat in an effort to draw Black's attention. Behind him, Lupin hovered cautiously by the door, not daring to leave the two of them alone.

Slowly, Black looked up.

"I wish to discuss Harry with you," Severus said calmly.

Sirius snorted disdainfully. "_You_ wish to discuss Harry? You're a bastard, you know that?"

_Here we go again with the insults_, Severus thought tiredly. The sooner this was over, the sooner he could leave.

"Look, Black," he said, annoyed. "I don't like you and you don't like me – I think we've established that already. But do you have to be such a prick to the people who _do_ like you?"

Something flashed in Black's eyes and he jumped up from his chair.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he said viciously. "Coming in here, acting like the good little Samaritan. Nobody's buying it, Snape!"

"Well someone has to be the responsible adult here," he retorted, "And clearly you're not up to the job!"

"Harry was entrusted to me! I care for him!"

"You haven't spoken to him in over a fortnight! What kind of impression do you think that gives?"

Severus must have hit a sore spot, for Black shook his head and laughed dryly, unable to answer.

Over by the door, Lupin began to fidget with his hands nervously and Severus couldn't help but wonder what sort of strain Black's mood had put on their relationship. As much as he hated them, there was no denying they were good together – one made up for what the other lacked; Black was the confident, headstrong one, and Lupin was the sensitive voice of reason. But Black wasn't the type of person to let something drop and Severus could tell just by glancing at Lupin that he had suffered as well.

"How is Harry?" Lupin asked, noticing Severus' stare.

"He misses you both," he told him simply. "But he's strong so he doesn't let it show. At least, he didn't until this morning." He turned back to Black. "He just wants a family. Why can't you be there for him?"

"He's with you. The sooner he realises you're no good, the sooner we can all just get back to normal."

This time, it was Severus' turn to laugh. "You really need to start facing facts," he said. "Harry is pregnant and yet the closest thing he has to a father is some madman who doesn't even want to be involved! Can't you see what this is doing to him?"

"Harry is free to come back whenever he wants!" he shouted. "If you knew what was best for him Snape, you'd let him go!"

"And if you knew what was best for him, you'd accept the fact that he and I are in love and would be supportive!" he yelled. "This stress isn't good for the baby. Do you really want him to lose another one?"

"Oh, and whose fault was it that he lost the first one!?" Sirius stormed. "_You_ were the one who slept with him! _You_ were the one who built his hopes up and dashed them the moment things got too much for you! _You_ broke his heart Snape – I'm just making sure you don't do it again!"

Well. That certainly was a slap in the face – and Black seemed to know it, for he crossed his arms and smirked at Severus. Severus sneered.

"Do you really think Harry would be with me if he held something against me?" he forced out. "That baby was as much mine as it was his. So don't you dare stand there, acting all high and mighty, like you give a fuck! Because if you did care, we wouldn't be having this conversation. If you did care, you wouldn't give a _shit_ who the other father was! If you did care, who would grow up and you would act like the father he needs!"

Sensing he was truly in danger of drawing his wand and cursing Black into the next century, he turned on his heel and stormed from the room and out of the house, making sure to slam the door behind him with all his strength.

* * *

Severus didn't head straight home, preferring to take a detour round Diagon Alley in attempt to calm himself down. He was fuming to the point where he just wanted to crush everything in his path. People scattered out of his way as he marched angrily down the twisting, cobble paths and he could feel his magic teetering on the edge, waiting to be unleashed.

He couldn't remember why he'd thought talking to Black would be a good idea when it was clear the man was just full of utter shit. He didn't care about Harry at all – he just wanted things to go his way! And when they didn't, he pulled one hell of a sulk.

A shop window caught Severus' eye and he paused his thoughts and looked up. Borgin and Burkes. His feet an automatically led him to Knockturn Alley. He scowled and continued down the dingy street before throwing himself onto a bench.

He was beginning to wonder whether Harry was worth being with if it meant he had to enter into such a psychotic extended family. Of course, he knew the answer to that immediately but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Sirius Black he absolutely detested, and he wasn't that fond of Lupin either – the man was a pushover, entirely too weak for Severus' liking. And then there was that whole Weasley clan to consider. Arthur, the one obsessed with muggles; Molly, who seemed to think Harry was a five year old in need of constant care; Bill, the one stupid enough to marry that Delacour girl; Charlie, the 'show-off' with the Dragons; Percy, who was probably the most pompous prat he'd ever laid eyes on (and he'd met James Potter so that was saying something!). And then came the evil twins, followed by Harry Potter's sidekick, and 'Little Miss Damsel-in-Distress.' And then, of course, there was the Granger girl, who seemed to be an un-shy version of Lupin.

Who would have thought that Severus would ever be associated with such people?

A soft gust of wind reached him where he sat and he looked down at his watch. He supposed he'd better head home. Harry may have left the Weasley's early and if so he would be wondering where Severus had gotten to. With a sigh, he thought of home and apparated with a 'pop'.

He let himself in and headed off towards the kitchen, intent on starting dinner. When he saw who was sat at his table though, all thought of food was forgotten.

"Severus, you're home," Harry smiled in greeting.

"Yeah, Severus," Black said with a grin, "What took you so long?"

Severus gritted his teeth together. His first thought was to shout and order the man out of his house; he was absolutely unwelcome here and had no right sitting in that chair at that table. But before he could react, it slowly began to dawn on him what Sirius Black in his house might mean.

Harry was _smiling_. He was in the same room as Black and he was _smiling_.

Could it be that Black had actually taken notice of what Severus had had to say?

"What's going on here?" he asked Harry.

"We've made up!" he beamed.

Severus' mouth tightened and his eyes turned to Black. "Really?" he said.

"Yep," said Harry brightly, clearing not noticing anything. "He just stopped by and we started talking and now everything's alright again. It's great isn't it?"

"Fantastic."

* * *

After Black had left, all Harry could talk about was his godfather. He was just so pleased that he'd seen the error of his ways and had come round. He told Severus of all the nice things Black had said and how he'd promised to never leave him in future. Severus had wanted to tell Harry about the little visit he'd paid him that morning but had decided it was best if Harry believed his godfather hadn't needed a push and had come round on his own merits. Severus knew Black had purposefully avoided telling Harry about his visit – this way, if Severus ever said a bad word against him, Harry would leap to his defence. It had been a clever move on Black's part, but he was sadly mistaken if he thought he was going to come between them. For now though, Severus was just relieved it was all over.

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"

Severus, who had been noting down the next days shopping list, lowered his quill. "Why?" he asked, looking at Harry.

"I was just wondering," said Harry, rolling over in bed. "You know when I lost mine; it's only fair that I know when you lost yours."

"What wonderful reasoning you have there, Mr Potter."

"I'm serious, I wanna know," he said. "I'm interested."

With a heavy sigh, Severus pushed the parchment and quill away from him. "I was 21 if you must know."

"Who was it with?" asked Harry.

"No one you would have heard of," he told him.

"Oh." Then; "Was it good?"

Severus looked at Harry in bewilderment for wanting to know such a thing. "It was ok, yeah," he said with a shrug. "Why the interest?"

"I dunno," he said, staring up at the ceiling. "People always say you remember your first time. I was just wondering if you remembered yours."

Severus grunted. "Of course I remember my first time. I'm not senile you know."

"I didn't mean like that!" Harry went on. "I meant remember it in a fond sort of way." Harry paused before he spoke again. He turned his head to face Severus and he smiled. "I remember my first time fondly. Not the events that came after it," he added, "But the actual sex and everything that led up to it. It was nice."

Cheekily, he poked Severus in the arm. "Wasn't yours nice?" he prodded.

"It was…normal," he settled for.

"Normal? Severus, you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings," he assured him. "It happened long before we did."

Severus considered Harry. "Fine. It was nice."

"Who'd you say it was with again?"

"I didn't say."

Harry looked at his lover expectantly and, if it had been anyone else but Harry, Severus wouldn't have given in.

He rolled his eyes and turned onto his side.

"It was with my girlfriend," he told him. "Well, I say girlfriend. She was more of a friend who I met up with every now and then."

"Sounds like a hooker," Harry joked.

"She _was_ a hooker," said Severus.

"Oh."

Severus laughed at the look on Harry's face.

"She was my friend _before_ she was a hooker," he explained. "We'd meet up, have a few drinks, and sleep together. Free of charge," he added.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

Severus shrugged. "I realised I was gay," he said. "She's now living abroad and I'm here with you."

Harry fell quiet as he thought over what Severus had said, who took Harry's silence as a chance to cuddle up to him. Pulling the younger man to him, so that his back was pressed warmly against Severus' chest, he draped an arm around the smaller form and tangled his legs with Harry's.

"Wow," Harry said wonderingly.

"What?" Severus murmured, kissing the back of Harry's neck.

"You've slept with a woman." He twisted his head to look at Severus. "What's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"Sleeping with a woman," he said.

Severus groaned in frustration and looked around for the right word to describe it.

"Easy," he settled on.

"Easy?"

"Yeah. Women are sort of…self-lubricating."

"Eww! That's disgusting!"

Severus laughed again at Harry's expression. It amazed him sometimes how sweetly naïve his young lover could be.

Sensing Harry would start to ask about the mechanics of the female body, Severus decided the best form of action was to distract the young man. The arm that was already draped over Harry began to wander its way down the toned body, pausing here and there to stroke the sensitive areas. When he reached Harry's stomach, he brushed his fingers gently over the hairs he found and Harry hissed.

"Hmm," Severus groaned, "I much prefer men."

"I'm glad you do," Harry moaned.

* * *

The next day was the day they had agreed to go and visit Severus' mother and Harry had never seen Severus looking as nervous as he did now. Harry had spent the best part of the morning trying to convince him that he'd be all right but nothing had gotten through. By the time they had left the house, Severus had taken to picking at his robe sleeves.

"Severus, relax," he said for the fifth time, as they made their way down the cobbled street. "You're just going to make it worse for yourself if you keep worrying like that."

"I haven't seen here in 21 years, Harry!" he snapped. "What if she's disappointed in me?"

"Disappointment in you is not possible," he said firmly. "Now come on, we don't want to be late."

"I don't see why you have to bring her flowers anyway," Severus muttered. "It's not like it's going to make anything any easier."

"Just stop complaining and walk faster," said Harry.

Harry was determined to make a good impression on Mrs. Snape and had insisted that they stop by Diagon Alley to by her some nice flowers. He'd heard from Hermione that that was what Ron had done when he'd met her parents over the summer and they had been delighted at such a polite gesture. Hopefully, Mrs. Snape would be to.

As he walked down the street, Severus in tow, he was offered congratulations from the people who had heard of his pregnancy and he thanked them for their kind words. Predictably, some of them asked after the other father, their eyes straying to Severus for the shortest of moments, but Harry just smiled and shook his head, not telling.

By the time he'd reached the flower shop, he'd received so much advice from mothers with young children that he didn't know what to do with it all. He felt touched by the care with which they had spoken and even Severus seemed to have forgotten he was supposed to be nervous.

"I can't wait until I start showing," Harry said, browsing through the various bunches of flowers outside the shop. "I'll feel like I'm properly pregnant then, you know? It's so exciting, isn't it?"

"Whatever you say Harry," he muttered. "Can you just hurry up and pick some flowers already? I hate that everyone's staring at you."

Harry looked up from the spotted purple and pink flowers he had been examining and glanced around the street. Several of the near by shoppers were watching Harry out of the corners of their eyes and one witch had even pulled out a camera to take pictures.

"They're all looking at you like you're some sort of celebrity," Severus complained under his breath.

"I _am_ a celebrity," Harry reminded him. Then an idea struck him. He glanced once more around the street then looked cheekily at Severus.

"Well why don't we give them something to look at?" he smiled

Severus turned back to Harry. "Are suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Maybe," he grinned, "But that depends on what you're thinking."

Judging by the look that crossed Severus' face, they _were_ thinking along the same lines.

"Harry, no!" he said. "It's a stupid, stupid idea. We can't!"

"I don't see why not," Harry pressed on. "It's not something to be ashamed of."

"No," he agreed, "But it is something for everyone to talk about!"

"So? We have just as much right as everyone else does to walk down the street together. I don't care what they think." He stopped and, biting his lip, he looked again at the people dotted about the sunny street. He took a deep breath and faced Severus. "Kiss me."

"Harry –"

"Kiss me," he said again, strongly. His eyes connected with Severus' and he smiled once more. "I love you."

Severus shook his head in amazement and laughed softly to himself. Then, growing serious, he took a step towards Harry, brought a hand up to his neck, and pressed his lips firmly to his. He pulled away just far enough to gaze into Harry's eyes and Harry felt excitement flood through him as he saw the passion erupt in Severus' dark eyes. They had just kissed in public!

"Can we do that again?" breathed Harry.

Severus smirked and bent his head. Their lips touched and at first it was slow and sweet and Harry was happily convinced it could last forever. He could feel Severus growing hard against his hip and he moaned into his mouth, instantly giving in and allowing that exquisite tongue to dominate him. Severus weaved his fingers through Harry's hair and he pulled him closer, kissing eagerly, never wanting the feeling to end.

Ironic, that the most intimate kissed they'd shared was the one witnessed by dozens of people.

* * *

**A/N:** I just had to **_pay_** my little brother to let me on _my_ computer, in _my_ room. He smells. 


	11. Eileen Snape

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Eileen Snape**

As soon as the kiss ended, Severus pulled back, although he didn't let go of Harry; his hands remained firmly on the young mans shoulders as he looked around at the gathering crowd. The woman with the small camera was frozen where she stood, her mouth open in a shocked 'O' expression and, behind her, an elderly man was smiling fondly at them both. Further down the street however, a woman had kneeled down to shield the eyes of her young son and daughter.

Severus scoffed dismissively.

"Come," he said quietly, "We mustn't keep mother waiting."

Smiling, Harry drew himself closer to Severus and they disapparated.

A split second later they reappeared behind a clump of bushes. Harry loosened his hold on Severus and looked at him.

"I guess we can't do anything to take care of that then?" he grinned, nodding at the bulge in Severus' pants. "Whoever would have thought – Severus Snape, an exhibitionist!"

Severus glared at him, but as his cheeks were rather flushed, the intended effect was lost.

"I am not an exhibitionist, Potter!" he snapped instead.

Harry just continued to grin.

"Could have fooled me." And with a wink of an eye, he let go of Severus and walked out from the bushes. Severus, muttering, followed.

They were stood on a patch of freshly cut grass facing a semi-circle, much like a cul-de-sac, of neat little bungalows. Cars were parked outside some of them, and somewhere, in the distance, he could hear the laughter of children.

"How do you know she lives here when you haven't seen her in 21 years?" Harry asked, turning to look at Severus.

"She wrote me a letter when she moved," he said. "I never responded though. Come on," he added, "Before I lose my nerve."

They crossed the quiet road and headed off down the pavement. Harry noticed all the garden ornaments on the front lawns they passed; wooden benches, little pot gnomes, plastic flowers than spun in the wind…this had to be a muggle residential area. Harry was suddenly reminded of mad old Mrs Figg, back in Surrey.

"…97…it's this one…" Severus came to a stop at the garden gate.

This bungalow looked the same as all the others they had passed; soft red brick, white plastic door, one bay window. However, the garden was so crammed full of all different types of flowers to the point where the path leading to the door was barely visible. Bees were buzzing about the brightest of them, collecting pollen, and butterflies were fluttering by the window.

Harry saw Severus wince – his lover, such a meticulous man, hated this sort of disorder.

Harry ginned and opened the gate for him, following him up the garden path; but then he remembered something. He'd gotten so caught up in kissing Severus that he hadn't brought with him the one thing they'd gone to Diagon Alley for in the first place.

"I forgot the flowers!"

"I'm pretty sure she has enough of those already," Severus replied, glancing uncomfortably at the garden.

"But I wanted to bring something," Harry went on, "It's polite."

"We are bringing her a grandchild. I should think that more than makes up for it."

"Yeah, well…I wanted to make a good first impression."

"You're Harry Potter," Severus said pointedly, but before Harry could reply, Severus had taken a deep breath and had knocked on the door.

Harry had to admit that he himself was starting to grow nervous now. This morning he'd been so excited about meeting Severus' mother, but now that he was stood on her doorstep, waiting to be let in, it occurred to him that he didn't have the slightest idea of what to expect. What if Mrs. Snape was now some crazy old woman, critical and harsh? What if she held a grudge against her son for leaving her? What if the only reason she'd agreed to meet them was because she wanted to make Severus feel bad for leaving her?

But when the door finally opened, Harry's doubts were swept away in an instant. Mrs. Snape – tall, dark haired, and wrinkled – had tears in her eyes as she pulled her son into a tight hug.

"Severus, oh, my son…all grown up," she was sobbing, "I've missed you…all grown up…let me look at you…" With an effort, she pulled away from Severus and stood back to take in the sight of him, but seconds later, with renewed sobs, she flung herself at him again. Severus, unused to such behaviour, patted her on the back; although Harry noticed, with a smile, that he'd closed his eyes.

After a minute or so, she pulled herself away again and straightened up and Harry had the chance to take in her appearance. She was wearing a white blouse with blue flowery patterns on, and a knee length brown skirt, with skin coloured tights and brown slippers. Her dark grey hair was tied back in a short plait and, like Severus, she was tall and slim in figure.

"And who do we have here?" she asked, her watery eyes on Harry now.

"Mother, this is Harry," Severus said and Harry could tell he was nervous; Mrs. Snape had no idea her son was gay. "Harry Po – "

"Harry Potter?" her eyes widened. "My, my, this is a…well, don't just stand there, come in, come in," she said, standing back to let them pass, "My Severus, all grown up…"

Harry followed Severus into the living room and noticed immediately all the photographs on the walls; baby Severus, toddler Severus, teenage Severus...Tobias Snape appeared in a few of them, and above the mantelpiece was a muggle photograph of Mr and Mrs. Snape on their wedding day.

"Sit down, sit down," Mrs. Snape was saying as she bustled into the living room. "Can I get you anything to drink? Eat?"

"We're fine, thank you," said Severus, but Mrs. Snape was already on her way out of the room and they could hear her opening cupboard doors.

"She never used to be like this," Severus muttered to Harry as they seated themselves on the sofa. "She was always so sullen."

"Just like you then," Harry teased with a smile. "She's just pleased to see you," he added seriously. "She's obviously missed you very much."

As they waited for Mrs. Snape to rejoin them, their eyes wandered about the room. Over by the window was a large squashy armchair next to which, on the floor, sat a pile of knitting wool and needles. Next to the fireplace, on a small footstool, was a tattered box full of newspaper cuttings and Harry thought he saw a picture of Hogwarts flash out at him. At the back of the room stood a large antique cabinet which held all of Mrs. Snape's finest china. The dining table was covered with dusty boxes and dog-eared books and, as Mrs. Snape re-entered the room, she caught them looking.

"I was just having a clear-out," she said, passing them both a glass of lemonade. She walked over to the table and pulled out a black and silver blanket from on of the boxes. "This was Severus' baby blanket," she said, looking at it fondly. "Ever since I heard he was coming to visit, I've been going through all his old things." After a moment, she folded the blanket back into the box and went to sit down in the armchair.

"I can't get over how grown up you look Severus," she smiled, looking at her son. "I haven't seen you since you were…" she faltered, but continued, "Well, that doesn't matter now. The important thing is that you're here."

"Mother," said Severus, rather awkwardly, "I'm sorry for – "

Mrs. Snape held up a hand. "I know," she said softly, "I know you are, and I don't need to hear it. You're here now." She learned forwards and picked up the box full of newspaper. "I've been trying to keep track as much as possible," she said. "Potions teacher at Hogwarts; I always said you were gifted." She beamed at Severus, who tried to smile back.

"But what's all this Death Eater business?" she asked, rummaging through the cuttings. "One day they're saying you're working for You-Know-Who, and then the next that you're working with Dumbledore."

"Oh," said Severus, "Well, I, erm…"

"You son's a hero," Harry said, seeing Severus struggle. "He risked his own life to help us win the war. If it hadn't have been for him then a lot more people would have died."

Mrs. Snape stopped her rummaging and looked up, her eyes filling with tears again. In that moment, she looked so proud – Harry had never seen someone gaze with such admiration.

Things seemed to be going well, he thought. Mrs. Snape didn't seem to be the slightest bit angry at her son for leaving her for 21 years. As she had said, it was the fact that he was here with her now that mattered; that he had written to her, that he had wanted to get in touch. And even though Severus was sat on the sofa looking slightly uncomfortable, Harry knew he didn't regret his decision

As they drank their lemonade, Mrs. Snape told them stories of when Severus had been a little boy, always locked in his bedroom reading, or else getting into trouble with the neighbours. Harry particularly liked the story of when Severus had given a funeral to his pet flower 'Petal' when it had died. In turn, Severus told his mother what working at Hogwarts was like. She asked if they still had the Gobstones and Chess teams and he replied yes and told her which houses had been in the lead for the passed couple of years. She asked after Dumbledore and McGonagall and he told her that they were well.

"And young Mr. Potter here," she said, addressing Severus but smiling at Harry, "You would have taught him, yes? I take it you have become quite good friends."

The subject had come up unexpectedly and for a moment Severus struggled before regaining his composure.

"Yes, actually mother, about that…" He looked at Harry, who smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging way; so far, there had been no mention of anyone's love life's. "Harry and I…" he seemed to falter under his mother's stare. He lowered his eyes to his hands in his lap. "I'm gay."

The words seemed to hang in the air, waiting to be made sense of, and not one of them spoke for a good few seconds. The clock on the wall ticked away and outside, Harry could hear the birds chirping merrily.

"Oh," said Mrs. Snape, "I see." She paused again and in the silence Harry started to fidget nervously. It was strange, to know that two mere words were capable of having such an effect.

"And..." she began delicately, "And are you and Harry…together?"

Severus looked up at her and nodded. Absently, she nodded back, thinking…and then she got up. She crossed the room in her slippers and picked a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ up off the table.

"But it says here that Harry's pregnant," she said, shaking the newspaper. Her wide eyes roved over the two of them as she slowly shuffled into the middle of the room, the paper clutched loosely in her hand. "Severus?" she spoke quietly.

When Severus gave no response, she turned to look at Harry again. He smiled and offered a small shrug and she broke down in tears again.

"I'm going to be a grandmother? Oh, come here," and she pulled Harry off the sofa and kissed him on the cheek. As she released him and turned her attentions to Severus, Harry couldn't help but feel slightly overwhelmed and relieved. Eileen Snape was nothing like he'd expected her to be. When Hermione had first shown him a picture of Severus' mum, his first thoughts had been that she looked cold and withdrawn, and when he'd found out what she'd been through, that had quickly changed to vulnerable and loyal. But the woman in front of him was sweet and fussy, just like he imagined all grandparents would be. She didn't seem to have any qualms about her son's sexuality at all and she was ecstatic about the baby. Things were going very well indeed.

"So when's the wedding?" she asked, and Harry was brought out of his musings with a bump. _The wedding?_ He'd expected Mrs. Snape to be a lot of things, but traditional wasn't one of them.

Harry's shock must have shown on his face for Severus said quickly, "There is no wedding. Just the baby."

"No wedding?"

"Marriage isn't really something we've discussed," Harry told her, and he couldn't help but feel a slight _pang_ at the realisation that they probably never would either.

"We're comfortable with where we are," Severus agreed; "There's no need for any marriage nonsense."

Harry felt himself nod.

"Ah," Mrs. Snape said knowingly, a smile on her wrinkled face, "I take it this baby wasn't planned then?"

Harry couldn't stop the blush that crept into his cheeks and ears and Mrs. Snape chuckled.

"I understand," she said, nodding. "Severus here wasn't planned either. I'm not saying he was a mistake though," she added quickly. "He was definitely my little miracle."

The three of them ended up going out to a restaurant for dinner and the tension definitely lessoned as they chatted over their meal. Mrs. Snape was quite interested in Harry and her son's take on the Ministry, and after they'd talked politics, they moved on to other areas. She asked Harry about himself and his friends and he told her of the Weasley's and how they were like family to him. Ron and Hermione also came up, although Harry didn't dare mention Sirius or Remus, just in case. Half way through the meal, Harry had excused himself to go to the bathroom, to give Mrs. Snape a private moment with her son.

Once dinner was over, they returned to the bungalow. The blue sky had turned a dazzlingly shade of pink now and, as they sat back down in the living room, a glass of wine in hand (or in Harry's case, Pumpkin Juice) Harry had to stifle a yawn.

Mrs. Snape seemed to have caught it however.

"It _is_ getting on a bit," she said, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Why don't I make the spare room up for you both?"

"It's fine," said Severus, "We can just apparate later on. You don't have to go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble at all," she said, and she pulled out her wand and gave it a flick. "Now Severus, why don't you apparate home to get some clothes for you both, hmm? You're staying here tonight and I'm not taking no for an answer."

Deciding it was best not to argue, Severus clasped Harry firmly on the shoulder before exiting the room. As soon as they heard the crack of disapparation, Mrs. Snape seated herself next to Harry, who had a sneaky feeling that she'd planned for this alone time.

"Thank you," she said, smiling at him.

"What for?" he asked, confused.

"For talking Severus into coming to see me."

"Oh, I didn't," he said quickly, "It wasn't me, it was all Severus."

But Mrs. Snape was shaking her head knowingly. "My son is a very stubborn person. When he left I was sure I would never see him again. You must be really good for him, if he's listening to what you're saying. Thank you."

* * *

"Your mum's really nice," Harry said that night as he climbed into the bed Mrs. Snape had made up for them. 

"Yes," Severus sighed in agreement. "She does seem to be a lot better, now that my father is no longer around." He threw on his nightshirt and joined Harry in bed. The cotton sheets ruffled softly as he made himself comfortable.

"And you were afraid it was going to be awkward," Harry teased. "I told you you'd be fine."

"Indeed," Severus murmured. "I suppose I had better thank you for talking sense into me."

Harry grinned and snuggled up against Severus. He felt relaxed, fulfilled, as though he had crossed some huge obstacle. It was nice to know that family lay on the other side of the wall.

"She said I was good for you," Harry told him with a smile. Severus snorted but didn't comment.

Harry lay in bed for a long time after that, staring up at the dark ceiling and listening to the odd sounds outside. He wanted to sleep but his mind wasn't giving him a moments piece; it kept going over something Severus had said, something which shouldn't have been as much as a bother as it was turning out to be.

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to rest until he'd cleared something up, Harry prodded Severus awake.

"Sev?" he whispered. "Sev, wake up."

"Hm?" came the gruff response.

"Do you really think marriage is a load of nonsense?" he asked.

With a sluggish grunt, Severus turned over.

"Harry, it's the middle of the night."

"Please," said Harry, "Just answer me."

Severus sighed heavily. "It's stupid that people think you have to get married to prove your love," he said. "Utterly pointless. Now leave me in peace."

* * *

After enjoying a lovely full English breakfast together the next morning, Harry and Severus said goodbye to Mrs. Snape, promising that there would be more visits in the future. Before they had left however, they had caught sight of the mornings paper and had told her to ignore whatever insulting things it said about Severus in the coming days. Meeting Eileen Snape had pushed their public kiss from Harry's mind completely and now, returning home, they would have to deal with the outcry that it had caused. 

Just like when Harry had announced his pregnancy, there were hundreds of owls sat in the surrounding trees waiting to deliver their messages. Harry had gone straight into the living room and had plonked himself down on the floor, ready to start reading. Not all of them were letters, however; in the pile that had been deposited on the carpet in front of him, he could clearly see red smoking envelopes, fit to burst.

"This is utterly ridiculous," Severus said in frustration, throwing a letter on the floor. "Can't we just burn them all?"

"I want to read the nice ones," said Harry.

"What nice ones?" he asked, his voice a little high. "There're all '_Snape, you should burn in hell'_, and '_Snape, leave that poor boy alone'_, and '_Snape, you're a sick perverted man'_. I swear I saw one in your godfather's handwriting before!"

Harry looked up from the envelope he had just opened. "You're not used to getting hate mail are you?" he said.

"And you are?" he scoffed. "Who would ever send the _great Harry Potter_ hate mail?"

"Plenty of people," said Harry. "Remember all those I got the other day after I gave that interview?"

"They were only from homophobic pricks," Severus pointed out; "That's not exactly hate mail material. These are really having a go at me."

Harry watched as Severus threw a handful of letters pack onto the pile.

"I thought you didn't care what other people thought of you?" he said.

"I don't."

"Then fuck 'em," said Harry, turning back. "Fuck the lot of them. Just ignore it."

"'_Fuck 'em'_?" repeated Severus, eyebrow raised. But then his expression changed and he slid off the sofa with a smirk and joined Harry. "I'd much rather fuck you."

"Now, now Professor, this isn't the time to be getting frisky; we have letters to get through."

"I'd much rather get through something else," Severus whispered with a grin, "These clothes for a start." Ignoring Harry's feeble protests, Severus lifted his hands to Harry's shirt and began to unfasten the plastic buttons, cursing himself as he did so for not bringing Harry a normal t-shirt to wear the night before.

"Severus," Harry said, with a soft hiss, when he felt lips at his neck, "We have to reply to the nice people."

"We can do that later," he murmured, and Harry held back a gasp when he felt hot breath dance across his skin, "I want to fuck."

Before Harry could respond, Severus had covered his lips with his own. His tongue explored that delicious mouth and as Harry moaned, he placed firm hands on the now bare chest and pushed gently.

Harry fell back softly onto the many letters that littered the floor and Severus hurriedly covered his body with his own. His lips had now returned to Harry's neck and he nibbled gently, as he knew Harry liked, and his fingers trailed down and brushed over hardening nipples. Eyes closed, Harry arched and gasped before wrapping his legs tightly around Severus' waist, rubbing, bucking…

He turned his head to one side, a hand tangled in Severus' long hair, in an effort to keep that hot mouth worshipping his neck. He opened his eyes…and saw Ron's handwriting.

"Oh," he said breathlessly, "Look, a letter from Ron."

Severus growled in a somewhat possessive manner and moved his hands to Harry's pants.

"_Harry_," Harry read out, letter in one hand, Severus' hair in the other; "_Mate, I thought I'd better let you know – _Oh, dear God, that's good! – _Mum's on the warpath. She, like Sirius, thinks Snape's forced you _– Oh, yes! Do that again! –_ into something so expect an interrogation the next time you're here. Hermione and I have tried to tell her that everything's fine and that you love him – _hell yeah, I love him!_ – and all that, but she doesn't believe us. All the best. Ron._ Fuck, Severus!" Harry cried out as, losing his grip on Severus' hair, the older man slid his talented mouth down Harry's chest, teeth grazing his nipples, tongue circling his belly button, before coming to rest on the clothed erection. Harry clenched his fists tight, scrunching up the letter still in his hand. He threw his head back and bit his bottom lip, not caring if he drew blood, wanting to focus on the feeling of that hot mouth, that tongue, those hands peeling off his boxer shorts.

By the time they were finished, Harry was pretty sure they would need a hefty amount of cleaning charms if they were to send back any of the letters with polite replies.

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know - I took forever to update! Sorry guys! I have no excuse except laziness. But since it's summer I'm gonna try to get back into my routine of quick updating. I've just started another fic which is a post-DH one and once I have a few more chapters on that, I'm gonna start to post that as well - but this story and its sequel are my main priorites.

Please review! xx


	12. A Lovely Meal Together

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**C****hapter Twelve: A Lovely Meal Together**

Harry sat on the edge of the large bed, staring down at the front page of a magazine. His own face winked at him from the glossy cover and smiled brightly at him. Harry smiled back at it for a moment and shook his head, dazed, before flicking through its pages, stopping a few seconds later. Another picture of himself, his shirt undone, his face fixed in a sexy pout. He quickly scanned the article and turned to the next page. Another picture of Harry, this time without his shirt, his trousers resting dangerously low on his hips, his mouth open suggestively. Next page, next picture – naked chest, his trouser fly undone.

The magazine issue had come out that morning and Harry had spent the last two weeks nervously anticipating its release. Not because of what everyone else would think of it though – now that his relationship with Severus was out in the open, he'd found himself caring less and less about what the narrow-minded people out there had to say about him. No, it was his friends' reactions he was worried about. He'd _conveniently_ forgotten to mention what he was planning on doing. Not that there was anything wrong with what he had done. He was rather proud of himself actually.

The last fortnight had gone by in a mixture of 'congratulations' and hate mail, the owls continuously pouring in through the open windows. Every wizarding newspaper and magazine in the country was running the story of Harry's relationship with Severus; even though Harry had never spoken publicly about his involvement with the man, the papers were still somehow managing to print pages upon pages on the topic, interviewing people whom he had gone to school with and quoting things he had said in his interview with the _Daily Prophet_. The witch in Diagon Alley who had had the camera had obviously sold some of the pictures later in the week as, when Harry had thought it all might just start to die down, the whole thing had been dragged up again, this time with the colourful photographs as an exciting new addition.

Harry found it hard to believe that so many people could be interested in his love life. He'd known for years that he was a popular talking point amongst the public but he had honestly thought that his defeat of Voldemort would be the height of it all, or at least make people back off a little and respect his privacy. He simply couldn't understand why something like _this_ was causing such a stir in the media.

Naturally, Severus was receiving the more bitter letters as he was the elder (and more 'evil') of the two, but it didn't seem to bother him one bit. As more and more mail arrived, he simply flicked his wand and watched with smug satisfaction as the parchment went up in flames.

But amongst the flood of letters had been quite a few offers from magazines, wanting to ask so many questions of their own. Harry had been prepared to send all of them back with polite "Thank you, but no thank you's" when one particular offer had caught his eye.

It had been from a magazine simply entitled "Gay Wizard" and it had wanted to give Harry the chance to put his side of the story across, instead of throwing all the nasty rumours back at him and spinning things around. Harry, being proud of his sexuality, relationship and pregnancy, had agreed.

Looking back, he didn't quite know what had possessed him to do that interview and photo-shoot; all he knew was that he didn't regret it one bit. Posing half naked for a gay wizard's magazine was like telling all the critics out there to fuck off – he didn't care anymore what they said. He was 18, in love, and he was going to do what the hell he liked!

The people who worked for the magazine had been really nice, all of them congratulating him and saying what a role model he was, and how nice it was to finally have a famous figure in wizarding society who was gay. Harry had just smiled and shook hands, feeling slightly overwhelmed with the reception.

It had been a great experience overall and he had met some lovely people. Perhaps once the baby had arrived he would do it all over again, this time with Severus and the baby, to show off his new family to the gay community.

_Severus..._

His lover had known about the magazines offer and, surprising, he had been supportive. Well, he hadn't argued or tried to stop Harry, so Harry was guessing that counted as support in Severus-Land.

"You're not still looking at that thing are you?"

Harry looked up to see Severus strolling into the room.

"Just admiring myself," said Harry, smiling. "I look hot don't I?"

He held up the magazine to show Severus. His eyes lit up, but he scoffed; "The photographs are airbrushed, anyone would look 'hot'."

"Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome. Now," he said, looking down at Harry, "About this evening…"

Harry sighed and shut the magazine.

"I've already told you, we can't get out of it," he said, repeating the same thing he'd been saying for the passed week. "They've booked the restaurant and we're going. That's that."

"Harry, I am not spending my evening with those people."

"Well you're gonna have to because there is no way I am letting Ron and Hermione down."

"Weasley and Granger I can handle. But do the rest of the family really have to be there?"

Harry fixed Severus with a warning glare and got to his feet.

In late celebration of their engagement, Ron and Hermione had organized a meal for family and friends and a restaurant. This way, they all got to meet each other before the wedding and details could be discussed. Harry was rather looking forward to meeting more of Hermione's family, but Severus was proving to be difficult to convince – all week he'd been trying to find ways of getting out of it; whether this was because he didn't like family gatherings, or because Sirius would be there, Harry didn't know, but he was having none of it – he would drag Severus there if he had to!

"Why don't we spend the evening together?" Severus offered hopefully. "We could go to the cinema and then get a bottle of wine in later."

"Severus…" Harry warned.

"Oh, alright, fine! But you owe me!"

* * *

Harry and Severus arrived at the restaurant at 7 o'clock that evening, dressed casually in shirt and trousers. Severus had tied his long hair back with a green band and had his hands stuffed moodily in his pockets. Harry was doing his best to ignore his lovers distress, something which aggravated his lover even further.

With the amount of people attending the meal, Hermione had thought it best to dine somewhere comfortable and lively so they would be able to chat freely to one another without disturbing the other customers. Also, she had chosen somewhere in the town where she lived as there were muggle relations attending. She had already explained to them in a letter that only her parents knew about the wizarding world and so they would therefore have to keep conversation strictly muggle.

"Good Evening, Sirs," a tall man greeted them as they stepped into the lobby. "Table for two?"

"We're with the Weasley party," Harry told him.

"Ah, yes. Right this way…"

They followed him through the packed room, passed tables of laughing friends and families, and up a few steps to where a large party of people sat gathered around a long table. The waiter bowed to them and as he walked away, a familiar voice greeted them.

"Harry! Professor! You made it!"

"Hey," Harry smiled, hugging Hermione. "You look great."

"You to," she beamed. "God, I feel like I haven't seen you in ages! Come, let me introduce you to everyone."

Harry looked around at the table, now only registering just how many people were there. Apart from Percy, the whole Weasley family was there, including Bill's new wife, Fleur. Sirius and Remus were sat near to him, as were Luna and Neville, and at the other end were Hermione's parents and what had to be some of her other relatives.

"Harry, Severus, this is my Grandma," she said, pointing at the old lady, "Grandad, Uncle Terry, Auntie Jasmine, and my cousins Melissa and Mark. Guys, this is Harry and Severus."

Harry smiled and greeted them with a little wave before taking a seat next to Sirius. Severus sat down on his other side, next to Charlie. But before Harry had the chance to say 'hello' to his godfather, Mrs. Weasley stood up from her chair and pointed at him and Severus.

"You two. Outside, now."

Harry gulped, a look of dawning horror creeping into his features. He'd completely forgotten Ron's warnings about his mother!

Ron cringed and Bill just shook his head in exasperation. Fred and George, however, looked on in glee.

"Fight, fight, fight, fight," they chanted; Mrs. Weasley glared at them and they fell silent.

"Now, now, Molly – lets not cause a scene," said Mr. Weasley, placing a hand on his wife's arm. "I'm sure you can talk to Harry and Severus later on in the evening."

Mrs. Weasley seemed to become aware of her surroundings and she slowly sat back down. Amid the chatter, she leaned across the table.

"You've been avoiding me," she said.

"No," said Harry, "Honestly Mrs. Weasley, I haven't. I've just been so busy, what with all the letters and everything."

"Mum," Ron broke in, "Hermione and I have explained to you already that Harry and Professor Snape love each other. You've gotta stop going on about it."

"I will not stop going on about it Ronald Weasley…" And she lunched into a whole tirade,bringing up all sorts of nonsense from rules and regulations, to Dumbledore and the school. Luckily, all of this was aimed at Ron, who had interrupted her, so Harry was free to talk to Sirius.

"So, how's life treating you?" said Sirius, smiling at his godson.

"Good," Harry smiled back. "Can't complain. I'm sorry I haven't been to see you in a while – "

"Hey, that's understandable," he reassured him, "From what I can gather, you've been pretty busy. Meeting Snape's mother, answering mail…posing for that magazine."

Harry's eyes widened.

"How'd you know about that?"

Sirius chuckled. "I am _gay_ you know. And I do _read_."

"Yeah, Harry," said George, across from them, "Even _we_ heard about that. Saw your face blinking out from the cover of the magazine and we couldn't resist!" And out from underneath the table he pulled a copy of 'Gay Wizard'.

"Put that away!" Harry demanded, as Fred, George, and the others laughed. George did as he was told however, but only because his father had looked around to see what they were laughing about.

After they had all gotten reacquainted, they ordered their meals. Harry and Severus got a large margarita pizza to share and a glass coke to go along with it, staying away from the alcohol due to Harry's condition.

As the twenty-four of them tucked into their meals, the conversations carried on. Obviously forgetting the 'no magic' conversation rule, Severus and Charlie were discussing dragons (Severus being more interested in the dead ones than the live ones); however, it wasn't a problem as the Granger relatives were nattering on about other things and didn't hear them.

"So, mate, how are you?" asked Ron.

"I'm alright. How's the job going?"

Ron had started his Auror training at the beginning of September, but as they hadn't had much chance to see other, Harry hadn't been able to ask.

"It's good, yeah," he said, nodding. "Tonks is showing me the basics for now, which is great since I know her. But I didn't realise how much training you have to go through, and then there's the tests. They test your spelling and maths and everything!"

"Well you do have to make written reports, Ron," said Hermione, joining the conversation. "You can't just arrest someone and expect that to be that."

"I know, I know…I was just saying." He rolled his eyes. "So," said, "How's the, erm…" He put a hand up to shield his face and mouthed the word 'pregnancy.'

"It's fine," Harry told him, "It's all going fine."

"Any cravings yet?"

"No," Harry laughed, "Not yet."

He continued with his meal. Next to him, Severus was still engaged in conversation with Charlie, stopping every now and then for a bite of pizza. Harry was impressed with the effort his lover was making; for someone who had been extremely reluctant to come to dinner, he seemed to be enjoying himself.

On his other side, Sirius was tucking into his plate of steak and chips. Remus, who had lasagna, was talking to Hermione's Uncle Terry about a book they had both read.

"So, Sirius," Harry said, finishing off a slice of pizza, "What's new with you?"

"Well, since you ask…" He looked round the table before lowering his voice and continuing; "Remus and I are actually thinking about trying for a baby."

"What? Oh, Sirius, that's great!"

"Yeah," beamed Sirius, "But don't tell anyone. We aren't entirely certain yet but…I think we will."

"What's stopping you?" Harry asked, sensing there was more to it.

"Remus," he said. "Well, not Remus, but, you know…"

"The werewolf thing?" Harry guessed.

"He's afraid he'll pass on the gene to the baby. I keep telling him that the chances of that happening are slim but…" Sirius sighed. "I can understand where he's coming from though. I mean, no one would wish that on their child. But a _baby_, you know? A proper family."

"I understand completely," said Harry, and a hand automatically slid to his stomach.

After they had cleared their plates, dessert was served. Harry had ordered himself a chocolate fudge cake with cream and he dug into it the moment the waiter placed it in front of him. But then, out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw Severus help himself to a glass of wine and for the slightest of moments Harry regretted ever having introduced Severus to binge drinking. He was suddenly tempted to remind the man of his promise to not drink because Harry couldn't drink. He quickly forced the urge to disappear.

"So, Harry," an unfamiliar voice said and he looked up from his cake to see Hermione's grandmother smiling at him. "I hear you're Hermione and Ronald's best friend." But then before he could respond she said, rather loudly; "My friend Catherine has a son who likes cock."

"Gran!"

"Mum, you can't say that!" said Mr. Granger, but the whole table had burst out laughing.

"You're grandmother's ace!" laughed Sirius; Hermione looked shocked, but chuckled along all the same.

Eventually, the laughter died down and they all returned to their desserts and drinks (Mr. Granger moved the bottle of wine out of his mother's grasp.) As the plates were emptied and their drinks topped up, conversation turned towards the Weasley-Granger wedding.

"So have you set a date yet?" asked Hermione's Aunt Jasmine.

"Yep," said Hermione, barely keeping the grin off her face; Harry could only imagine how exciting this must be for her. "The church is booked. We're getting married on the 2nd of February at 3 o'clock in the afternoon."

"Oh, that's great!"

"I can't wait!"

"That's fantastic!"

"Yeah," smiled Hermione. "And whilst we're discussing the wedding, we need to talk bridesmaids." She looked up and down the table. "Ginny, Luna, Melissa…would you guys do the honours?"

The three girls looked simply delighted at the idea and they all nodded their heads.

"And Harry, you'll be my best man, yeah?" asked Ron.

"Of course!"

Ron smiled at him.

Harry sat and listened to Hermione, Mrs. Granger, and Mrs. Weasley as they lunched into full detail about the ceremony. By the sound of it, it wasn't going to be anywhere near as extravagant as Bill's; Hermione wanted a traditional muggle wedding, simple yet elegant, and that suited Ron just fine.

Obviously there were to be no special magical effects as Hermione's family would be in attendance and, much like tonight, conversation would have to be watched carefully; but Harry couldn't see it being a problem – sure, Fred and George would probably want to pull off some celebratory prank and sure, Dumbledore would no doubt attract attention, especially a Dumbledore dressed in a suit, but other than that…

Well, there _was_ Harry's pregnancy to take in to account, but he was almost certain there would be ways he could hide his baby bump from muggle eyes – after all, he would be six months pregnant by then, and he _was_ the best man, so he couldn't exactly hope no one would notice.

Best Man. He felt honoured that Ron held him in such a position, but that didn't stop him being nervous. Apart from giving a speech (which was daunting in itself) he hadn't a clue what a best man was meant to do. He made a mental note to ask Sirius later on. Then he'd remembered what Sirius was like and decided he was best asking Remus.

Eventually, finally, conversation came to a close and people stood up to say their goodbyes. Harry shook hands with Hermione's grandmother, who winked at him, before heading outside with the others.

It had already been growing dark when they had arrived there three hours ago, but now the late night autumn sky was pitch black, except for a few stars dotted here and there. Music could be heard thumping out from the bars and clubs situated across the street where people were stood shivering outside, waiting to be let in.

After the last of the Granger relatives had disappeared, as well as Sirius and Remus (who wanted an 'early night') Mr. and Mrs. Weasley bid their children and the others goodnight. Harry accepted the hug Mrs. Weasley gave him nervously, worried that she would remember her earlier threat of having a 'talk' with him. But as she released him and zipped up her fluffy pink coat, she seemed to have completely forgotten.

"So," said Charlie, once his parents had left, "Who fancies going for a drink?"

"Yeah, I'm up for it," said Ron. "What about you guys?"

"Definitely," said Fred and George together.

"Bill?"

Bill, who was stood in the entrance to the restaurant with Fleur, shook his head.

"Nah, not tonight. I was up early this morning, I just want to get to bed."

"Right, well, I guess that just leaves us lot," said Ron, looking around at the others. "You're up for it, aren't you Neville?"

"Sure, yeah," he said. "Anything to get out of the cold."

"Nice one. Right then, Charlie; lead the way."

"Hang on," said Hermione. "You have to be _18 _to drink in the muggle world."

"We _are_," said Ron, looking at her as if she was mad.

"Ginny and Luna aren't. They're 17."

Charlie grinned and Ron rolled his eyes.

"I'm sure there are ways we can get them in," Fred said, pulling out his wand. "Oh come on," he added when he caught the look Hermione was giving him, "It's not like they're drinking illegally. They're witches and in the wizarding world they're allowed."

"Oh, alright," Hermione sighed. "You two are coming as well, right?" she asked Harry and Severus.

"'Course," said Harry. "But I'm not drinking, what with the baby and all that."

Five minutes later (thanks to the use of quite a lot of clever, and somewhat unnecessary, magic) the eight of them were sat around a table in the corner of a busy club, drinks in hand. To Harry's annoyance, Severus had ordered an alcoholic drink but he tried to ignore it – it really wasn't worth an argument, and if his lover wanted to drink then who was he to stop him?

Charlie and Luna soon took to the dance floor, quickly followed by Fred and George. Harry really wasn't in the mood for dancing, but he was perfectly happy to just sit and watch the others.

It was nice, he thought, being here, out with his friends. And it was even better that Severus was joining in. He'd thought it would be impossible for them all to be out together, what with the age difference and Severus' status as the nastiest professor of all time. But here they were, his friends making an effort, Severus making an effort…it suddenly seemed quite impossible that there were people out there who doubted their relationship.

"Thank you," Harry said, leaning in to Severus.

Severus looked at him in confusion. "What for?"

"For coming with me tonight," he told him. "I know you didn't want to."

Severus snorted and looked away. For a moment he just sat and watched the crowd of drunken dancers, his eyes seemingly unfocused and far away.

Harry smiled tiredly and lay his head on his lover's shoulder, listening to the music pounding around him. His eyes found Hermione, who was taking turns to dance with the four Weasley boys, a great smile on her bright face.

After a while, he felt Severus shift and he lifted his head to meet the others eyes.

"You know I would do anything for you, don't you?" Severus said.

"I do," he nodded and he leant forwards and touched his mouth to Severus', who responded sloppily, yet eagerly.

When they finally broke apart, Harry grinned. "You're drunk."

"How can you tell?"

"Public displays of affection? Not really you're thing."

Severus laughed. "Well, after that picture in the paper I –" But the rest of his sentence was cut short as the others took that moment to return to the table. Hermione looked flushed, exhausted from all the dancing, but happier than Harry could ever remember. It must be great, the feeling you have leading up to your wedding. Of course, Harry knew that the closer February came, the more nervous she would become, but that was all part of it.

The twins set a fresh tray of drinks down on the table and collapsed into their chairs. It was a few minutes before Harry noticed the identical grins stuck on their faces.

"What?" asked Harry with a sense of foreboding.

"Look what I have here," Fred said joyfully, and he reached into his jacket pocket and, for the second time that night, pulled out a magazine.

"Oh my God, Harry, that's you!" squealed Ginny, and to Harry's horror she snatched the magazine from her brothers' hands and began to flick through its glossy pages.

"Guys, come on," he said, blushing, "It's not that big a deal. Guys, seriously."

"Bloody hell, you're half naked here!" She held the page open for the rest of them to see.

Ron whistled and patted Harry on the back whilst the others jostled for a better look.

"Go Harry!"

"Mr. Potter, you raunchy devil!"

"Oh, come on! You're all acting like it's pornography! It's just a picture."

"A _sexy_ picture," said Charlie.

"A _very_ sexy picture," added George.

"A _very_ _sexy_ picture of you, half naked, looking like you'd love nothing more than a good, hard fuck," finished Fred.

"And that's what he'll get," said Severus, "The very moment I get him home."

Harry buried his face in Severus' shoulder as the others cheered.

As the night went on, Harry joined in with the dancing and at one point he even managed to drag a drunken Severus to the dance floor with him. His anger (or whatever it was…maybe jealously?) at Severus drinking had long since disappeared. Harry was the one who was pregnant so therefore it was he who had to be responsible. Besides, it was a very rare thing to see Severus Snape actually enjoying himself in the company of Weasleys.

After having danced to at least ten songs in a row with Ginny and Luna, Harry decided it was time to give his feet a much deserved rest. He made his way back to where the table was and slid into the chair next to Hermione.

The magazine still lay on the table and Harry quickly snatched it from view, in fear of muggles seeing it. He was ready to tell Hermione off for leaving such a thing in sight, but she had clearly had one too many to drink.

Harry thumbed through the magazine and looked at his pictures. When Harry had arrived home last week with the photographs from the photo-shoot, he had taken them straight to Severus. The man's reactions to the pictures then had been pretty much the same as they had that very morning – dismissive, uninterested. But Harry knew better; he knew _Severus_ better.

It was obvious to Harry that Severus found the photographs arousing, yet the man hadn't made any kind of move to initiate something with Harry. Sometimes Harry really didn't understand his lover – one minute he was all over him, the next it was like he was afraid of violating him. Sure, they had sex at night…but that was it. It was all at night, all in bed. Well, apart from the occasional blowjob.

Harry tapped his fingers absently on the magazine and looked around. The Weasleys, Neville, and Luna were still dancing and Severus had gone to the toilet. He looked at Hermione.

"Can I ask your advice on something?"

"Sure," she said. "What's up?"

"It's about…Severus and me…and our sex life."

Hermione stared at him for a moment, eyes wide. Then she laughed.

"I will help in any way I can," she giggled.

"Err…great," he said, not sure if he should continue. But then, she _was_ drunk, so he supposed it was worth a shot.

"It's just, well…our sex life…I mean, it's great and all that but…it's just become, I dunno…a little repetitive and…ordinary. I don't mean 'ordinary' as in 'not good' though," he added quickly, "I mean, the feeling when we have sex is great, it's better than great, it's just it's sort of become sort of…" He trailed off, feeling his face burning with embarrassment. He was completely and utterly making a mess of this.

He chanced a looked at Hermione who was sat staring at him, nodding as if dazed.

"It's vanilla," she said randomly.

"What?"

"The sex," she said. "It's vanilla. Plain, standard, safe."

"Yes," said Harry, sitting up, "Yes, that's it. It's sex that we know we both enjoy. Yes, that's exactly it."

"And you want to try different things?" she guessed.

"Well, I'd like to," Harry shrugged. "But I don't know how to go about bringing it up with Severus."

Hermione nodded her trance-like nod again before continuing.

"You could make a list," she suggested.

"A list?"

"Yeah," she said. "You both make a list of all the things you would like to try in bed. Then you swap and read each others. If there's something on your list that Severus is comfortable with he'll know what to do, and vice versa. It's what Ron and I di –" But then she caught the horrified look on Harry's face and blushed.

"It's what Ron and I have heard some couples do," she struggled to say. "Of course Ron and I don't do that, we're not into that sort of stuff."

Now it was Harry's turn to nod along absently. He was pretty sure he was now scarred for life.

Again.

Only mentally this time.

"Or," said Hermione, with such an obvious effort to pretend nothing had happened, "You could take some pictures of yourself."

"Pictures?" Harry came out of his trance. "But there are pictures in that magazine."

"No, I mean more suggestive ones, ones that are meant for Severus' eyes only."

"You mean, like, naked ones?"

"Exactly," she said, "And leave them lying around the house for him to find."

Harry looked at her suspiciously, not sure he wanted to hear the answer to his next question.

"How do you know all this?"

She blushed again and began to fidget with her dress. "It's what Ron and I have heard," she muttered.

Harry cringed. Then, trying his utmost best to erase the images he had in his head, he sighed.

"Why do things have to be so difficult?"

"You think you've got problems? How I am supposed to find a colour for the bridesmaids to wear? One's a red-head, ones a blonde, and ones a brunette – tell me, _what_ colour goes with all that?"

* * *

**A/N:** What's this? An update! At 1 in the morning! Well, it's 1am here anyways...and I'm wiiiiiide awake!

This chapters rushed coz it got annoying. Yup.

**Anyways, so seriously guys - what colour _does_ go with a red-head, blonde, and brunette? I have been stuck on that for ages! Any ideas?**

Please review! xx


	13. Love You

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen:**** Love You**

With a grimace, Severus handed Harry a damp cloth, who miserably wiped his mouth with it before tossing it onto the bathroom floor.

"That's the third time today," he groaned weakly as he slumped against the tiled wall. "The baby obviously doesn't like me."

Severus' lips thinned as he bent to retrieve the cloth.

"I think this may have more to do with the fact that you had consumed several bars of chocolate before deciding you wanted to run about the garden like a lunatic. I sincerely doubt this has anything to do with morning sickness."

"I wasn't running about like a lunatic," Harry complained; "There was a wasp chasing me!"

"It's October. There are no wasps."

"It was a wasp," Harry insisted.

"It was a fly."

"I know a wasp when I see when, Sev! I'm not stupid."

"Says the man who likes to eat several bars of chocolate for breakfast."

Harry growled and got to his feet. Severus just smirked.

In the twelve weeks Harry had now been pregnant, Severus had been a very happy man, much to his surprise. He'd heard such horror stories of how pregnant lovers become irrational, needy, and downright annoying, but so far Harry hadn't exhibited anything of the sort – well, no more than usual anyway. True, there _had_ been the odd mood-swing here and there (particularly in the last week or so) but those moods had usually consisted of 'excitable', 'joyful', and 'affectionate', so it hadn't exactly been a handful to deal with. In fact, Harry had been charmingly pleasant.

The physical side of things also seemed to be going well. Yesterday had been the day of the twelve week scan and, to Severus' great relief, the mediwitch had said that all was well and good; the baby was growing fine and Harry was in good health. And when she had shown them a picture of their baby, Harry's face had shone. Severus himself had been speechless – he hadn't been able to believe that it was real, that he was staring at a picture of his unborn child, that he was really and truly set to become a father.

He hadn't let the sonogram picture out of his sight all day.

In other news, Weasley and Granger – no, _Ron and Hermione_ had been rather busy with their plans for the wedding. Not a week had gone by where Ron hadn't visited Harry with complaints that his wife-to-be was driving him insane. From what Severus could gather, she had already booked the caterer and the DJ (whatever one of those was) and was currently in the process of selecting bridesmaid dresses. Here, Ron had said that they should start thinking about what Harry was going to wear – all Hermione had said was that he should be in a nice black suit, but as Harry would be six months pregnant by then, they would have to save that bit of shopping until last minute to get the size right. And then, of course, Harry would have to come up with a best man speech, and probably a stag party as well, to send Ronald Weasley off into married life.

The last time Ron had visited, he had told them proudly that he and Hermione had found a nice little flat in Edinburgh in which they would be moving into after the honeymoon. Presently, they were living in between houses – sometimes at the Weasleys and sometimes at the Grangers (the Grangers' residence being 'base camp' for wedding arrangements) but whenever they had spare time they were returning to their new home and carrying on with the decorating.

Listening to Ron go on and on about their new home had reminded Severus of his and Harry's own desires to move. They had stopped their search a while ago in favour of concentrating on Harry's pregnancy – moving house whilst pregnant was not a good idea as it was far too stressful and physically demanding. Instead, they had tidied up the place they were in. But no matter how it looked, the fact still remained that they could not bring a child up in a one bedroom house.

Harry still wanted a swimming pool and Severus was still wanted his dungeon and neither of them were prepared to change their minds. But when Harry had expressed his concerns about money, Severus had been quick to reassure him that expense wasn't a problem – a teachers' salary wasn't the best, but when you had spent the last 16 years working in a place that offered free accommodation and free meals, it all built up to a lovely amount.

So the search for a bigger house had started again. So far, there had been nothing. But he was hopeful.

* * *

Harry was bored. 

It was October 31st and The Boy Who Lived was stretched out on the sofa, idly flicking through channels on the television whilst listening to the children running around outside, talking and laughing with each other. Earlier in the week, Severus had warded the house against children, preventing them from 'trick or treating' at their door – honestly, you wouldn't think the man was about to become a father.

The man in question was, as usual, sat in the armchair furthest from the front window, taking notes from a book he had acquired recently. Parchment littered the coffee table in front of him and a stack of tattered books was sat on the floor at his heel.

This had become a daily thing for them now, Harry being bored and Severus engrossed in his work.

And he _would_ have complained about it if it hadn't have been _he_ who had suggested Severus write a book. But in all honesty, he hadn't thought that Severus would take his idea so seriously. When he'd suggested it, he'd thought the man would spread his time out evenly, write a little bit here and there when he had nothing else to do, but _no_; the stupid book was getting all the attention and poor Harry was getting none. The only time Severus seemed to notice him was if he were ill or did something stupid and now that his morning sickness had completely disappeared he couldn't exactly count on the baby to help like it had done this passed month, so that just left the option of stupidity.

Well, there was something else…but did he really want to resort to using his sexuality to get attention?

_Yes._

Harry shook his head. No; he would deal with this like a mature, responsible adult.

Putting down the T.V remote, he turned his head.

"Severus? Can we talk?"

Severus' expression was tight. "Harry, what have I told you about interrupting me whilst I'm working?"

"Not to," Harry mumbled. "But I just thought that we could – "

"Harry," he said, "I am meeting the publisher next week to discuss my ideas. I _really_ need to get this chapter done."

Harry opened his mouth to argue, closed it again, and then gave up. "'K," he muttered, "I'll just sit here then." He grabbed the remote and resumed his earlier activity.

_Stupid Severus with his stupid book._ And it had all seemed like such a good idea at the time – "Hey, Severus, why don't you write a book for Defence Against the Dark Arts? Your personal experiences would be an asset to any child's learning. Heck, even Aurors could get something out of it!" "Why, Harry, that's a marvellous idea!" – _Harry, you utter idiot!_

OK, so Severus hadn't actually used the word 'marvellous', but the meaning was still pretty much the same.

Maybe Harry should write a book? He could dedicate all of his time to it and not give Severus a second thought. Oh, he could do an Autobiography and tell the world all about his and Severus' sex life! _That_ would teach him to ignore Harry Potter!

And on that note, Harry's thoughts suddenly took an entirely different direction. Sex lives…

It had been over a month since Hermione had made her suggestion of a list, and although he still hadn't had the chance to bring it up with Severus, Harry already had quite a few colourful ideas of his own.

He wanted to be tied up; tied to the bed, hands strapped above his head…to give himself over, to show such submissiveness, such trust…So what if the man was being rude and dismissive! He was still a fantastic lover, in more ways then one…

Abandoning the television, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to be lost in images…Surrendering to Severus' touch, yes…a warm, hard body pressed against his, kissing, licking, driving Harry _insane_ with desire… His cock would be painfully hard, thick and throbbing with life…but Harry wouldn't be able to touch and Severus would give him _that look_ and would make him _beg_…And then those sinful fingers would start their journey downwards and that _mouth_ would descend and those fingers would push into him and oh _yes_, something bigger, something harder, thrusting, pounding…

An ecstatic surge of _something _raced through him and he opened his eyes.

He hadn't even moved on to his second idea and already he was hard. It usually took longer that _that_. Damn hormones.

Resentment completely forgotten, he swallowed and glanced over at Severus, who was still sat in his armchair, busy with his notes. OK. So maybe Harry _could_ use his body to get some attention. And there was no point in trying to be subtle about it, was there?

"Sev, I'm horny."

Scratch of a quill. "That's nice."

"Well?" he pressed. "You think you could give me a _hand?_"

"Harry, I'm really busy here."

"But I'm horny," he whined; he fixed his expression into an adorable look he knew Severus couldn't resist. "Pwease Sevvie? Pwetty pwease?"

Severus didn't even look up. "I can't Harry. I really have to get this done. Go and have a wank or something."

Harry sat up. "That's it? Go and have a wank? That's all you can say?"

"Harry..." he warned.

"Fine," Harry huffed. "Fine, that's just – " And then an idea hit him.

Smirking defiantly, Harry got up, dropped his pyjama bottoms, and then sat back down again, naked legs spread wide. Then, slowly, he closed his eyes and ran a finger along the length of his cock. He moaned at the much needed contact and wrapped the hand around himself, thumb grazing the tip ever so lightly. He moaned again.

And someone gasped.

"What are you doing?"

Harry's eyelids fluttered open leisurely. "What you told me to do."

Severus licked his lips.

"Do you like it?" Harry whispered. "Do you like watching me touch myself? Does it turn you on?"

The other man seemed to be at a loss for words. Harry could almost feel holes burning into the back of his hand from Severus' stare. Not even trying to hide his smirk, he began moving his hand. That was all the encouragement Severus needed.

* * *

"Hmm, something smells nice," Harry said as he entered the kitchen, feeling refreshed and ready for the day. 

Severus was stood on the far side of the room with his back to Harry, preparing breakfast.

"It's just toast," he informed him.

Harry smiled and made his way over to see that Severus had just opened a jar of strawberry jam. With a contented sigh, he wrapped his arms around Severus' waist and lay his head on his shoulder. He kissed his cheek.

"Well, it's very nice smelling toast."

Severus chuckled and began spreading jam into the already buttered pieces of toast; this was one of Harry's recent food cravings and when it had first shown itself, Severus had just thanked Merlin that it wasn't anything disgusting. Jam and butter he could deal with.

"You're in a good mood," he noted, passing the plate to Harry.

"Hard not to be after last night," Harry grinned.

"Ah," said Severus, smiling, "If you are referring to our many rounds of vigorous sex then I very much agree with you. In fact," he added, seating himself at the table, "I was thinking about taking the day off writing to spend some more time in bed."

"Aw, did I tire you out that much?" Harry asked cheekily, but inside he was overjoyed.

He had to admit he was rather proud of himself; he'd grabbed Severus' attention last night and hours later, he still had it. Maybe Severus had finally noticed that he'd been neglecting Harry and now wanted to make up for it? Or maybe (although highly doubtful) he was just feeling romantic? Whatever the reason, Harry wasn't complaining.

"Brat," replied Severus. "You know very well what I have in mind."

"Hm, I do," Harry said, with a blissful sigh. "And I think it's an excellent idea. But we can't."

"We can't?"

"Nope. Sirius and Remus want us to have dinner with them tonight. You don't mind do you?"

It was amazing how fast Severus' face hardened.

"Of course I mind."

"What?" Harry was genuinely shocked – he'd thought all that was in the past; after all, Sirius _had_ apologised.

"Sev, he's my godfather. And on top of that, he's one of my closest friends. And I haven't seen either of them since Ron and Hermione's engagement party."

"So?" Severus snapped. "If you want to see them then go and see them; don't drag me into it."

Harry's heart fell. So much for romance.

"No one's dragging you into anything," he said. "They've invited us to dinner – _us, both of us_. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

Severus looked at him blankly.

"Sirius is trying to be friendly here," said Harry, "Don't throw it back in his face."

"If you want to go, go on your own."

"We're a couple now, we're going together."

"Don't tell me what to do, Harry!"

"Then don't let me down! What kind of message is it going to give Sirius if we can't even attend dinner together?"

"Harry," he said angrily, "This is not up for discussion. I am not going and that is the end of it."

And he stormed out of the kitchen, leaving a very hurt Harry behind.

* * *

When Harry and Severus had decided to decorate the house, their tastes had come into conflict over and over. Although Harry had been the one responsible for turning their bedroom into a circus of whites, reds, and purples, Severus had been in charge of the living room. He'd chosen dark, classic furniture; floor-length silver curtains, grey coloured carpet, dusty green sofa and armchair. Harry had complained that it was too dark and depressing and Severus had argued back, claiming it was elegant and sophisticated. Harry, being the persisted little sod he was, hadn't given up his whining and in the end Severus had been made to hang up a bright blue clock above the fireplace. It looked hideous but it had kept the peace. 

It was this clock that Severus' eyes now fixed upon.

Harry had left over an hour ago and Severus had done nothing but sit and stare. His research notes lay neatly on the small table next to him, stacked and untouched whilst his mind went over that mornings events again and again, from Black's little 'game plan' to the way Harry had reacted when Severus had refused to attend dinner. Harry meant a hell of a lot to him and he wanted more than anything to make him happy but…

He honestly couldn't believe how utterly dense and naïve Harry could be. He seriously thought that his godfather was OK with their relationship, when in reality that was so far from the truth it was laughable_! Sirius Black, fine with his precious godson dating a monster?_ HA!

Oh, the man had apologised alright, but any old fool could say 'sorry.' No, Severus knew better. He saw straight through it. Where Harry saw a gesture of friendship, Severus saw a cunning move.

He couldn't believe the nerve of Black, he really couldn't. Using his own godsons' emotions like that, to get at Severus, to cause friction between them.

Black had only extended the invitation to Severus because he'd _known_ the man wouldn't show up; Severus' refusal would anger Harry, and Black would be the shoulder to cry on. Really, it was so bloody low.

Black had designed this whole thing so that Severus couldn't say a bad word against him and if he did, Harry would be ready to leap to his godfathers' defence because Sirius Black was just so _great _and _noble_ and Severus Snape couldn't see that. It didn't matter that Severus was the man Harry loved or the man he was having a baby with; in Harry Potter's eyes, Sirius Black could no longer do anything wrong.

But of course, he realised, as he sat staring, Black wasn't entirely to blame, for Severus had let it happen. By refusing to attend the dinner he had let Black win.

But what bothered him more than Black getting one over on him, was how much he'd let Harry down.

* * *

It was 10:03pm by the time Harry arrived home. He stumbled out of the fireplace and headed straight for the stairs without a glance in Severus' direction. 

Severus shook himself out of his stupor but didn't move from his chair. Something he'd learnt a while back was that Harry hated being naked in front on him when they'd been arguing. It was best all around if he gave him a few minutes privacy.

The clock ticked on and the house was silent. Eventually, at 10:09pm, Severus got up.

He made his way upstairs and along the dark hall. When he reached the bedroom door, Harry was already in bed. He glanced over at Severus before turning the light off.

Severus sighed and closed the door behind him. As he stripped down to his boxers in the dark, he wondered whether he should ask Harry how the dinner had gone. Not that he cared really, but he hated it when they weren't on speaking terms. But he decided against it and carefully made his way over to his side of the bed. He was just about to climb under the covers when the light was switched on.

Harry glared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Going to bed," he answered.

Harry laughed scornfully. "Oh no," he said, sitting up. "No, you are _not_ sleeping in this bed with me."

"Harry, don't be so ridiculous."

"I mean it, Snape. I'm not sharing a bed with you!" And he yanked off the covers and got to his feet.

"Harry, what are you doing?" he demanded.

"Sleeping on the sofa."

"Don't be so stupid, Potter. Get in that bed."

"No."

"You are _not_ sleeping on that sofa!"

"If I want to sleep on the sofa, then I'll sleep on the sofa!"

"Harry, you are not sleeping on that sofa!"

"Are you sleeping on the sofa?"

"No one is sleeping on the sofa. Harry, you're pregnant!"

"Oh! So he does remember!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he shouted angrily.

"It means I need you to be there for me!" Harry yelled back. "It means you're supposed to stand by me! It means we're going to be parents so you had better grow up and stop acting like a fucking child!"

"_I'm_ acting like a child? You're the one storming off to sleep downstairs!"

"And you're the one who thinks Sirius is the enemy! Get over it Severus!"

And then he marched out and slammed the door shut behind him.

* * *

OK. So, sleeping on the sofa? – not the best idea in the world. There wasn't enough room to stretch out, his pillow kept falling to the floor, and the cushion he'd transfigured to a blanket itched like hell. 

But hey! At least he'd proven a point to Severus. Whatever that point was…

Severus probably hadn't even given him a second thought that evening when he'd left; he'd probably just settled down to write more of his book, assuming that Harry would be back later on and that they would put this whole sorry episode behind them, like they did with all their arguments. But this time was different. Severus had really hurt him.

All he wanted was for them all to get along – really, was that asking too much? He'd felt like such an idiot when he'd been explaining to Sirius and Remus why Severus hadn't been able to make it…_ "He wanted to come but he has to finish his book…", "He sends his best wishes…" _As if they'd believed that! Harry had spent most of the night falsely reassuring Sirius that everything was perfectly fine. It wouldn't do any good for him to know they were having such petty arguments.

But then again, he thought he could see where Severus was coming from. Harry kept forgetting that the marauders had bullied Severus when they'd all been in school. It must be pretty tough, to have to be nice to someone who had once tried to kill you.

God, Severus had had such a hard life, at home _and_ at school. He'd hardened his soul but there was still vulnerability in him. Sometimes, when Severus looked at him, Harry could see doubt in his eyes and so Harry would give him his unspoken reassurances. Every time they made love, Harry saw his trust building.

For the first time during their relationship, Harry wondered what _Severus_ felt after they argued.

He groaned into his pillow and flipped over onto his back. He wasn't going to be given any answers now. What he really needed, more than anything, was a good night's sleep.

And a good night's sleep was something he was not going to get on this sofa.

* * *

There was a creak of floorboards, a moment, and then the click of a door. Muffled footsteps padded across the carpeted room, a ruffle of covers, and a slight dip in the bed. 

There was a tense silence as both occupants lay still. Then Harry spoke.

"I know you're smirking and you'd better stop it right now."

In the dark, Severus' grin widened.

Harry let out a breath and turned over on to his side, his back to Severus. Severus smiled and closed his eyes.

"Love you."

"Love you too."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've just been really busy with my new job and everything. Plus I found this website that has this huge A - Z list of snarry stories so I've sort of been making my way steadily through that lol. Sorry for the suckiness of the chapter; I didn't want to write this one coz it was boring so in the end I had to make myself sit down and type! I even banned myself from watching Heroes until I'd finished! It is now 1:37 in the morning and I'm finally done so...bring on the Heroes episodes!

Oh! And thank you all soooo much for the help on the dress colours! I had so many suggestions! Most of you seemed to think a shade of blue or green though. You'll find out how that turns out soon enough - if its not the next chapter then its definitely the one after!

Thanks again! xxx


	14. Merry Christmas

Warnings: Slash, Mpreg

Pairings: SS/HP, SB/RL, and RW/HG

Genres: Romance, Drama, Angst

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Merry Christmas!**

December. At this time of the year it always snowed at Hogwarts; the grounds would be covered in a thick new layer of snow each morning and the students would have to wrap up warm in hats, gloves and scarves just so they could attend a Herbology lesson. The castle itself would be filled with merriment – the twelve twinkling Christmas trees, the singing suits of armour, the sparkling fairy lights – it really was a festive season. He remembered fondly the great snowball fights he'd had with his friends, the way Hagrid had left huge footprints on his way to and from the castle, the way he'd just loved to sit and watch from the common room window as students hurried back from Hogsmeade, clutching their Christmas shopping. The way everything had been so white and so fresh and so crisp and so clean.

And now, trudging his way through icy slush, Harry was convinced it only snowed at Hogwarts due to some stupid ancient charm. Either that or it always snowed up north, because down south it was an entirely different story.

Rain, rain, and more rain. _That_ was Christmas away from magic. Of course, he should have known that really, seeing as how he'd spent many winters in the muggle world before but…once you've experienced Christmas at Hogwarts then nothing else will ever come close.

That wasn't to say that muggle England was dull though. There was definitely something about walking down a busy London street, pushing your way through crowds of shoppers whilst admiring all the fancy lights and decorations in shop windows, that made you smile. Muggles had their own magic when it came to an occasion such as this. Rows and rows of bright lights hung in the air above the roads, stretching across from one building to the other, some shaped into snowflakes, others into elegant icicles. Mannequins in shop displays were dressed in this seasons 'must haves' and the windows were covered in glitter and fake snow. The bare branches of trees were draped with twinkling blue lights and festive music was pouring out from the various stores they passed, infecting people with holiday cheer.

Ron however, seemed to be immune to it all.

"Remind me again why we're traipsing through muggle London?" he groaned, grimacing as icy water splashed over his trouser leg.

"I told you, I want to show you the dresses I've picked out for the bridesmaids," said Hermione.

"And you couldn't have just shown me a picture because…?"

"Oh Ronald, stop complaining," Hermione snapped. "This is your wedding as well, you know! It wouldn't hurt if you took an interest in it."

"I _am_ taking an interest in it," he griped. "I'm _here_, aren't I? Allowing myself to be dragged through London in the pouring wet rain."

"Guys, guys," said Harry, "stop fighting. It's Christmas!"

"Not yet it isn't," mumbled Ron. "I still have another nine days to be grumpy."

Harry just shook his head and followed on behind them.

Looking around at all the frantic people pushing and shoving, Harry was immensely glad that he had completed his Christmas shopping already. Whilst Hermione had been busy with the wedding, and Severus with his book, Harry and Ron had gotten a head start choosing their gifts for everyone.

Unsurprisingly though, Harry had struggled to find something for Severus, and Ron (who had been dead-set on giving Hermione flowers – _"I'm already giving her a wedding, what more does she want!"_) had been no help whatsoever.

Naturally, the first thing that had come to mind had been potions, but getting his lover something associated with his job wasn't exactly a grand gesture. Of course, he didn't have to get Severus just _one_ thing – he'd already decided that Severus needed new robes and had gone right out to purchase some, as well as buying a cute little calligraphy set, stored neatly away in a wooden box that was shaped like a book. He'd also come across a rather nice tree decoration which was, admittedly, rather sentimental, but Harry had thought it a great idea. But finding 'that something special' had proved a challenge.

After they'd walked round Diagon Alley twice (and Harry had convinced Ron to get his fiancé more than flowers) they had stopped at a café for something to eat and that was when Harry had gotten his inspiration. There, sitting across from them, had been an old jewellers. Now, normally Harry wouldn't have entertained the idea of buying a necklace or a ring for Severus, but when he'd been helping Ron look for Hermione's engagement ring months ago, he'd learnt that this particular jewellers shop specialised in personal gifts, gifs from the heart. And so his Christmas shopping had been completed.

Harry smiled to himself as he continued to follow along behind Ron and Hermione. He was quite pleased with his gifts for Severus and he was sure the man would like them, although sometimes he wondered if he'd gone perhaps just a little overboard…after all, it _was_ only their first Christmas together and they _had_ been dating for less than a year…But it was love, Harry knew that, and they would be spending the rest of their lives together.

"This is it," Hermione said suddenly, stopping in the middle of the pavement.

"Finally," said Ron. "Let's get in. I'm freezing my bollocks off out here."

The atmosphere inside the shop was so different to the one outside that Harry had to look through the window just to make sure they were still in London. It was so calm in here and so laid back. Soft violin music was playing in the background which was such a contrast to the many stores that were blazing out all sorts of Christmas rock music.

"Don't touch anything," Hermione told Ron as she made her way over to the lady at the desk.

"What does she think I'm gonna do?" he snapped, "Try on a dress?"

"Are you alright?" Harry asked. "You've been a bit off all day."

"Oh, I'm fine," he sighed, sitting down on one of the many sofas, "It's just this wedding, you know? She's driving me insane. I can't seem to do anything right."

"Everyone wants their wedding to be perfect. Once it's over she'll be back to normal."

"God, I hope so," he said, "'Cause if not – divorce, here we come."

As they sat quietly, watching Hermione and the lady at the desk pour over an album, Harry found himself thinking about what his own wedding would be like. He didn't think he'd like too many people there – the idea of standing in front of them all and reciting his vows was a little daunting, to say the least. And there was no way he'd let himself been deemed as 'the bride' – just because Severus was the elder of the two didn't mean Harry was the woman. He'd wear a black suit, and maybe a white tie to keep with the traditional colour, but Severus would have to wear a white tie as well. And they'd each have a best man, and bridesmaids as well, but no maid of honour. As for the venue, well…he didn't think Severus would be comfortable wedding in a church, given his Death Eater history, but there were loads of other places. Maybe they could marry in one of those lovely old country manors people were allowed to rent out, or perhaps at Hogwarts, the place where they had fallen in love?

With some difficulty, he pulled himself back to his surroundings just in time to see Hermione approaching. She smiled and seated herself next to Ron, an open album in her lap.

"Well, what do you guys think?" she said, pointing to a picture. Harry leant across to have a look.

It was a photograph of Ginny, Luna, and Hermione's cousin Melissa. They were all wearing long slim gowns of a colour Harry could only describe as the sort of blue you get on a fresh, winters morning – a tranquil, yet crisp icy blue. Ginny looked simply radiant as she smiled at the camera.

"So, what do you think?" Hermione asked again. "I was going to go with a nice mint green, but it seemed too 'Spring' for February, if that makes any sense."

"Yeah," Ron nodded, "Yeah, I think you've done the right thing there. Green is definitely for Spring."

Harry smirked at him. It couldn't have been more obvious that he was just agreeing to keep the peace.

"Harry?" she said, "What about you? You're better at this than Ron is."

Harry looked up. "Hey," he said, "Just because I am a homosexual does not mean that I suddenly have an eye for fashion." He smiled at her. "But yeah, the blue is lovely."

Before he knew what was happening, Hermione had squealed excitedly and pulled them both into a hug. When she broke away, she was bouncing in her seat.

"That's it then!" she grinned. "The food is sorted, the music, the flowers, the seating arrangements, and now the dresses! All that's left now is your suit Harry. Oh, I can't wait for February!" And she bounced off back to the woman at the desk.

* * *

Harry returned home later than expected that evening. After they had left the shop, Hermione had wanted to go out and celebrate having put the final touches to the wedding. Harry was happy for her, for both of his friends, but it was the middle of Winter, he'd been on his feet for most of the day, and he was almost five months pregnant – all he'd really wanted to do was curl up in front of the fire with a hot cup of tea. Eventually, he'd made his excuses (being pregnant came in handy like that!) and he'd apparated home.

When he entered the living room it was to find Severus sat on the sofa. The television was casting light into the room, but his eyes were fixed on a letter.

Harry shuffled his way over.

"Hey," Severus greeted him, looking up, "I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry I'm so late," he said. "Hermione wanted to celebrate stuff. You know how she is with this wedding. She's driving Ron insane."

"That woman could drive anyone insane," he muttered. "It's quite alright, Harry; you are entitled to a social life after all."

Harry smiled and seated himself next to Severus, tucking his legs to the side. His head dropped onto his lover's shoulder and he closed his eyes lazily, loving the warmth.

"You poor thing," said Severus. "Can I get you anything?"

"Mmm, no," Harry mumbled. He sighed and opened his eyes. "Who's the letter from?"

"My mother."

"Oh, that reminds me. I've got her a present upstairs."

Severus shifted slightly to look at him. "You've gotten my mother a Christmas present?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "She is family after all."

Severus seemed to think on this before continuing. "Have you gotten the Dursleys' anything?"

"I've sent Christmas cards," he answered. "But I like you're mum. She's sweet."

"Hm," said Severus. He leaned forwards and folded the letter back into its envelope. For a few moments, all that could be heard was the dull sound of the weatherman on the television. The volume was too low for Harry to hear probably, but it didn't take a genius to know it was like the bloody Artic outside, only without the snow.

"So what did your mum want?" Harry asked.

"She wanted to know if she could perhaps visit between Christmas and New Years," Severus said, sitting back.

"You said yes, right?" Severus didn't reply. "Right?"

"Do we really want her visiting?" he asked eventually.

"Of course we do!"

"Why?"

"Because she's your mum!" said Harry. "Sev, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he said. "I just didn't think we'd want her visiting."

"Why wouldn't we?"

Severus didn't respond immediately. He seemed to be casting about for the right words. "I'm just not that close to her," he settled on. "But, if it saves arguments, then she can come."

Harry's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "You're not supposed to invite her because it 'saves arguments'. You're supposed to invite her because she's your mother and you _want_ her here. She's the woman who carried you for nine months and went through excruciating pain to give birth to you; she's the woman who brought you up and made sure you had everything you needed, who looked after you and cared for you and – "

"Are you quite finished?"

Harry cut off his sentence and looked up sheepishly. "For now," he warned.

The other man just looked amused. "Good. Now then, moving on…" He allowed Harry to get snuggled up again; "What do you want for Christmas?"

"There are nine days left until Christmas and you still haven't gotten me anything?"

"Of course I've gotten you something! I just wanted to get you more than one thing but apart from Quidditch and saving the world I don't really know what you're in to."

Harry smirked. It really couldn't go unsaid. "You," he whispered flirtatiously, "I _love_ being in you." He placed a kiss to Severus neck for good measure. "But I love it even more when you're in me, fucking me hard, making me come…"

But Severus was having none of it. "You know," he said, smiling slightly, "It's amazing how fast you get turned on. One minute we're talking about my mother, and the next you want sex."

"I'm a pregnant 18 year old, what do you expect?"

"A little more self control, to be honest."

Harry rolled his eyes and sat up. "Fine," he said, "Fine. Have it your way. What were we talking about?"

"Christmas. What do you want?"

"You, with a little bow on top so I can unwrap you."

Severus laughed and shook his head. "Is that all you think about? Sex?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Why, what do you think about?"

* * *

Harry spent the next week wrapping up the presents he had bought for everyone and delivering them in person. As he was spending Christmas day with no one but Severus, he wanted to make sure he saw everyone else before then and wish them well for the holidays. He'd gotten most of it done quick enough, but when he'd stopped off at The Burrow he'd been made to stay for dinner and hadn't escaped their clutches until after dark. He'd also visited Hogwarts, to see Dumbledore and Hagrid, and it had felt so strange to be at the old school and not be a student.

Severus, meanwhile, spent his days writing, shopping, and making sure Harry was comfortable. They hadn't talked of their argument over Sirius but they had each made an effort to be more accommodating to the other's wants and needs. Harry, personally, couldn't see what good that would do in the long run, but for now he was happy to just let it go.

A few days before Christmas, Harry had another scan and, apart from Harry's blood pressure being a little high (which was put down to Christmas shopping), everything was pronounced fine and healthy. Harry had put on quite a bit of weight, particularly over the last month where his baby bump had just seemed to emerge out of nowhere; he could still just about squeeze into his favourite jeans however and had set about getting as much use out of them as possible before it was too late.

Christmas Eve was a quiet affair which saw Harry and Severus cuddled up on the sofa, sharing a box of chocolates. The chocolates had been a gift from one of the Weasley children but Harry hadn't been able to resist and had opened them early. As he sat back, lazily enjoying the sensation of melting chocolate on his tongue, he decided that this was going to be the best Christmas ever.

* * *

The next morning, Severus was woken up by something prodding him in his arm. At first he ignored it, but when it persisted he groaned and cracked open an eye.

A grinning Harry Potter met his gaze. "You're awake!"

"You kept poking me in the arm. Of course I'm awake."

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and glanced at the clock next to the bed. He had to stifle another groan when he saw that it was only 8am. Honestly, sometimes, it was like living with a child.

"I don't suppose I can convince you to go back to sleep?" he asked with a sigh.

Harry shook his head, still smiling brightly. "Nope," he said. "I'm all showered and dressed and everything." He bent down and kissed the tip of Severus' nose. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas indeed," he mumbled as he pulled the cover over his head.

"Oh no you don't, Mr. Grumpy," said Harry, grabbing the duvet. "You're going to get up, washed, and dressed, and meet me downstairs in 15 minutes."

16 minutes and two coffees later, Severus entered the living room.

A few weeks earlier, Harry had taken the liberty of decorating the house with tinsel and muggle fairy lights. It was no way near as lavish as Grimmauld Place had been the previous year and for that Severus had been grateful. Apart from gold and silver tinsel around various picture frames, the living room was the only room that had been decorated. The tree stood in the far corner by the window, adorned with flashing lights and ornamental baubles; cushions with pictures of snowmen and Father Christmas lay arranged neatly on the sofa, and mistletoe hung from above the door.

Presently, Harry was sat on the carpet next to the tree, dividing out the presents into two piles. A warm feeling hit Severus has he noticed that his own pile was bigger than usual and he had a sudden urge to join Harry on the floor. He ignored it and sat on the armchair opposite.

"I think I'm going to open the Weasley's presents first," Harry was saying. "Here, they sent one for you." And, with a huge grin on his face, he handed Severus a lumpy red and green gift wrapped parcel.

Wondering what on earth the Weasley family could have possibly gotten him, he peeled back the wrapping paper. Once opened, his eyebrows shot so far up his forehead that they almost disappeared; inside was a green hand-knitted jumper with a large letter 'S' on the front. He was just holding it up to himself to make sure it _was_ a jumper when Harry burst out laughing.

"What?" he snapped, although it didn't have the edge he'd intended as he was still holding up the jumper.

"The look on your face," Harry laughed. "It's a Weasley jumper," he explained. "Mrs. Weasley makes them for all the family each year." Harry held up his own red jumper.

"Well in that case, I think we should split up," Severus said, folding away the clothing. Harry just laughed some more.

Next, Severus opened the presents from Dumbledore and McGonagall and the rest of the teachers at Hogwarts. Albus, like every year, had gotten him a fascinating little magical trinket which would probably take him a few weeks to figure out how to work. The rest of the staff had gotten him the usual selection of biscuits and vouchers and, now that he had started drinking again after such long years of sobriety, there were a few bottles of Scotch Whiskey from Minerva.

He put these aside and watched Harry unwrapping his own gifts. He felt rather – what was the word? – _touched_ that his ex-colleagues had sent him gifts. He had thought that leaving for a few years would change things, and when it had been discovered that Severus was seeing Harry Potter he had expected them to be angry and disgusted. He was just glad he'd sent them all cards. He would have to make up for the gifts next year.

All too soon, in Severus' eyes, Harry finished opening his presents. All that was left under the tree now were the ones from each other and as Harry's hand moved towards them, Severus couldn't help but grow anxious. He told himself it was ridiculous, but that didn't make the feeling go away.

He'd been so stuck on what to get Harry for such a long time – he just wasn't used to getting presents for people he was this close to. The last time he'd been in a relationship over the Christmas period was over a decade ago and that hadn't been anything serious at all.

Harry pushed the remaining gifts over to Severus and sat by his feet. He picked up a small, neatly wrapped box and held it out.

"I got this one for both of us," he said, passing it to him. "It's a bit sentimental so don't laugh."

Curious, Severus untied the bow and opened the little box. Inside lay what looked like a glass orb. He pulled it out.

It was a Christmas bauble, made out of clear crystal. Little silver and gold stars glittered within it, and on the surface were the words _"Harry and Severus' First Christmas Together"_.

"I know it's really cheesy and soppy and everything, but I saw them and thought they were a nice idea," Harry explained. "I thought maybe we could get one every year, so one day the tree will be full of them. What do you think?"

Severus licked his lips unconsciously and tore his eyes away from the bauble. "I think it's really romantic."

Harry fidgeted. "I know you don't usually like all that romantic stuff but – " Severus swallowed the rest of the sentence in a deep kiss. When he pulled away for air, he smiled and stood up.

Severus had never had a keepsake before so it was with great happiness that he hung the decoration on the tree.

Harry's other presents to Severus included the robes and the calligraphy set, which he'd handed to the other man with the words "I know I haven't been very supportive of your book…"

Severus had also purchased Harry some new robes, as well as some chocolates that were 'especially for love making' which he couldn't wait to try out.

Finally, there were only two presents left.

"This one is for you," said Severus, handing Harry his last gift. "I had to cast a feather-weight spell on it as it was quite heavy."

Intrigued, Harry pulled off the wrapping paper. When he registered what it was, his eyes filled with tears.

He was looking at a white marble tablet in the shape of a scroll. Inscribed into the marble was the Potter family tree, beautifully decorated and going back generations.

"I had a lot of help from Albus putting it together," Severus told him, watching as Harry's eyes scanned over all of the names. "We couldn't trace it further than the Peverell family though." He pointed to the top at the name _'Ignotus Peverell.'_

Harry was speechless. No one had ever mentioned the names of any of his ancestors so it was really something to see them all written above his name, like they all belonged together. There was his father, linked to his mother, and there were his father's parents, and their parents and aunts and uncles…

"It's spelled to carry on the line whenever someone reproduces," Severus carried on. "Once the baby has been born and named, it automatically adds them and the child's other parent to the tree."

Harry wiped his eyes and laughed weakly. "You're name will be on the Potter family tree?"

"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," he smiled.

Harry beamed up at him, feeling truly elated.

"Thank you," he said. "Really, thank you. You don't know how much this means to me."

After Harry had dried his eyes properly, and had thanked Severus again, it was time for the last present.

Harry sat waiting nervously as he'd watched Severus' fingers untying his final gift. It was the one he'd bought from the jewellers in Diagon Alley and he still wasn't sure if he'd gone over the top with it. He'd hate to ruin things now, especially as Severus had given him such a precious gift…

Severus pushed away the paper and opened the velvet box he'd unwrapped. Inside lay two beautiful white-gold chains, each with a diamond pendant set in platinum. He carefully lifted one from the box, knowing exactly what it was.

He felt utterly stunned that someone would get him something like this. No one, in his 39 years, had ever trusted him so intimately.

They were, for want of a better word, mood necklaces. They were intended for lovers as a gesture of trust and openness. They would each wear one and their own would turn the colour of their lovers' mood. He himself had wondered whether or not to get them for Harry but had decided against it, fearing Harry wouldn't agree.

"I know some people think these necklaces are an invasion of privacy," Harry was saying, "So if you're not comfortable with them I can return them and get something else."

It took Severus a moment to speak. He was still trying to get over the sheer trust Harry felt towards him. He didn't have a problem with Harry knowing his moods – in fact, it was for that reason he'd considered getting them himself, so that Harry could know what he was feeling when he closed himself off after their arguments.

"I don't know what to say, I'm…" He licked his lips and started again. "I'm honoured, Harry. I'm truly touched. I couldn't have wished for anything more."

The rest of the day was as magical as they had both hoped for. After eating a delicious meal together they enjoyed an afternoon in bed, followed by an evening in front of the fire, snuggled up to watch some of the Christmas films Harry had never had the opportunity to see before. Once the second film of the night had finished, Harry had wanted to go into the village to see the carollers so it had been quite late by the time they had turned in for the night.

To Harry's delight, Mrs. Snape had visited a few days later, bringing gifts and cards along with her. She had fussed endlessly over Harry and had presented him with wonky hand-kitten hats and gloves that she had made for the baby, which he thanked her for enthusiastically. He'd gotten the impression that she was glad of something to do and if doting upon her unborn grandchild kept her in high spirits, he wasn't going to complain.

Half way through the day of her visit, Harry had snuck out of the house for a few hours to give Mrs. Snape some time with her son. They'd been getting along just fine and there hadn't been any arguments or disagreements, but somehow the interaction between them hadn't felt right. Mrs. Snape had seemed to be the one making most of the effort, whilst Severus had simply talked to her as if she were a childhood friend and nothing more. Harry hadn't been sure whether or not this was normal behaviour between mother and son, but he'd sensed a lot of unspoken words between them that needed to be explored.

When he'd returned to the house, things had been just had he'd left them; Mrs. Snape was all chattery and cheerful, and Severus was formal and polite. He'd wanted to bring things up and try to get them talking properly, but had decided (and probably for the best) that it wasn't any of his business and that maybe, just maybe, this _was_ normal for them.

All in all, however, it had been a wonderful visit – a pleasant touch to what had been a perfect Christmas.

* * *

It rained on New Years Eve but that didn't stop the celebrations going ahead. Sirius and Remus had invited everyone to a big bash at their place and rumour had it that Fred and George were planning a spectacular firework display. Mrs. Weasley was putting on one of her wonderful spreads and Charlie was introducing them all to his new girlfriend.

But Harry, feeling rather fatigued, hadn't felt much like partying, so instead had opted to kick back and watch Big Ben strike in the New Year on the television. Well, _that_ and Severus didn't really get along with Sirius. But that hadn't really mattered anyway – with now only a few days to go before he was a full five months pregnant (yes, he was counting!) he suddenly felt a lot heavier than usual. Severus said it was all the mince pies he'd eaten, but what did he know anyway!

As he'd sat there by the front window, idly watching the television screen, he found himself thinking back over the year. It was amazing how much had happened really – he'd killed Voldemort, fallen in love, been pregnant twice, and had watched his best friends plan a wedding together. It was just over a year now, when Severus had first seen him naked, back at Grimmauld Place when he'd walked in on him in the shower. Things had progressed so quickly and yet everything felt so right. Now, if only he could get Severus and Sirius to talk to one another…Maybe that should be his New Year's resolution – carry on bringing peace to the world.

Harry frowned and lay his head against the pane of glass. That sounded a little arrogant, _'carry on bringing peace'_…the war couldn't have ended without all his friends, all those people who had lost their lives…

Maybe it was a good thing that this year was over.

Harry felt a little kick on the inside of his stomach and smiled. Yes, he was definitely looking forward to the future.

* * *

**A/N:** lol, I'm getting less and less creative with these chapter titles aren't I?

But seriously, I'm so sorry about the two month wait! And I'm so sorry that I do this everytime! Everything just been busy, busy, busy! Now, I don't want to promise anything but the next chapter shouldn't be too long away if work and all that goes to plan. Thanks ever so much for your patience and Merry Christmas to you all!

xx


	15. I Do, I Don't

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: I Do, I Don't**

"What on earth are you doing?"

Harry paused the quill in his hand and rolled his eyes at his lover's voice.

"I'm writing out all the dates in this years' calendar," he said.

"I can see that," Severus replied, "But why are you doing it on the floor, stretched out on those pillows, like a beached whale? Why can't you act normal and write at the table like everyone else?"

"'Cause I'm comfy," Harry replied; "And besides, I'm not normal."

"Obviously."

Harry shook his head and smiled as he turned his attention back to the calendar, circling the day of Ron and Hermione's wedding. It couldn't arrive fast enough, in Harry's opinion.

Both Harry and Ron had hoped that Hermione's..._enthusiasm_, if that was the right word…would be quelled once the final arrangements had been made to the wedding. And it had, for a while. But then she had found a new topic to agonise over and Harry had had to watch January disappear almost as quickly as it had come.

Since purchasing the flat in Edinburgh, Ron and Hermione had been making decorating visits in their spare time; but, what with work and the wedding and then the Christmas holidays, things had taken a back seat and _somehow_ Harry had been roped into helping out. He hadn't complained however, he had simply kept his mouth shut and gotten on with the work he had 'been assigned'. He knew how important it was to Hermione to have it all done before she was whisked off on her Honeymoon, but really – Harry had important things to do as well! Like Severus's birthday.

In the second week of January, Severus had turned 40, which, in the muggle world, would have been a big deal. Harry had toyed with the idea of throwing a surprise party for him but fortunately his common sense had kicked in before he'd had time to make any arrangements. Aside from the fact that everyone he could have possibly invited would have been busy with work, Severus and parties didn't really mix. So instead he'd settled on taking his lover out for a meal before returning home to enjoy the rest of the evening in bed. It had been such a peaceful and welcome change to everything that had been going on around them.

He smiled fondly has he remembered that night. Severus had been so gentle in his love-making, his kisses so all consuming, his attentions so careful…Again, he found himself amazed at how far their relationship had progressed.

Pulling himself away from those thoughts, he absently filled out Ron's birthday in the blank square. His face lit up again, but this time it was accompanied by an amused snort.

A few nights ago had been Ron's Stag Do. Traditionally, the organisation of that event was left to the Best Man, something which Harry hadn't been looking forward to all that much. He'd been under strict orders from Hermione – no strippers, no lap dancers, no pole dancers, no hookers; in fact, anything involving a woman taking off so much as a coat had been out of the question. In the end, Fred and George had offered to take over and Harry had been so relieved that he'd stepped back without a second thought.

Naturally, they'd ended up at a strip club.

It had been an experience, to say the least. He'd felt himself blushing furiously when he'd realised he was stuck in a room with nothing but half naked woman wrapped around poles and he'd kept his eyes trained on the table in front of him for quite some time before he'd found the courage to look up. He didn't think it was a 'gay thing' though; although the idea of sex with a woman wasn't in the least bit appealing, he didn't mind the way the female body looked. But Bill and Charlie and everyone else were being spurred on by the alcohol in their systems, whereas Harry had only allowed himself the one drink before sticking to lemonade.

Despite his initial mortification however, the night had turned out to be quite enjoyable. He'd joined in with the others as they'd laughed, joked, and had toasted to Ron's future. He'd absolutely refused to be given a lap dance though – even though his baby bump wasn't visible to muggle eyes, he could still feel when people brushed up against it and lately he'd become very picky about who touched it. Plus, you know…he didn't want a naked woman writhing on top of him.

So, after Ron had been treated to a dance by a busty brunette named 'Bunny', Fred and George had drunk enough beer to fill an entire swimming pool, and Charlie had spent ten minutes naked running away from a muggle Police Man, they'd called it a night and Harry had returned home to Severus wanting nothing more than a good nights sleep.

Harry looked up once more from the calendar, eyes focusing on Severus, who was sat on the sofa by the window, thoroughly engrossed in the new edition of his potions magazine. Occasionally he would reach for the quill beside him and take quick notes on a piece of parchment before letting his eyes read on. Once a Potions Master, always a Potions Master…although Harry was pleased to see that he was using one of the new quills that Harry had gotten him at Christmas.

Twenty minutes passed in comfortable silence, each of them absorbed in their own work. It was rather strange, Harry thought, to have the birthdates of all his Professors written down, and even more so when he realised that his own name would be signed next to Severus's whenever they sent a card out from now on.

After Harry had noted in the final person, he closed the calendar and stretched his limbs with a satisfying moan. It felt nice, to be lay on his back, spread out on the bed of pillows he'd made on the hard floor. There weren't many sitting positions he found comfortable now that he was entering his sixth month of pregnancy; the midwife at the hospital had recommended a few, as well as discouraging him from spending too long on his back, but Harry had found his own method worked wonders on the aches and pains.

During their latest visit to St. Mungo's they had been asked if they had wanted to know the sex of the baby. Severus had been quite keen at the thought of knowing whether they were to have a son or daughter, but Harry had wanted to wait and so they had declined. He didn't really have any reasons for this – at least, not reasons he could properly explain; all he knew was that the baby he was carrying was his _baby_.

Said baby kicked and Harry felt his stomach grumble. As much as he'd like to, he couldn't stay here all day. He'd have to get up and start making dinner soon.

"Pass me those chocolates will you?" he asked Severus, nodding towards the coffee table.

Severus's eyes glanced at Harry, then at the box on the table, before returning to fix on his lover.

"You're pregnant Harry, not an invalid. Get them yourself."

Harry scoffed. "That's nice of you! I can't reach, in case you haven't noticed."

"Then get up."

"Fine!" Harry exclaimed in a huff, struggling to his feet; aware that Severus was watching with a smirk, it took him a little longer than it normal would have done. "You just wait…I'll remember this when you're the one who needs help. And guess what?" He glared at Severus with a smirk of his own, "I won't lift a finger to help you. So ha!"

"You mean the _Great Harry Potter_ won't help me?" Severus drawled. "Whatever will I do?"

"You know what?" said Harry, now standing, hands on hips. "No sex for a week."

"Oh no." Severus turned a page in his magazine.

"Two weeks!"

"Darn."

"Do you want to make it three?" Harry threatened with a growl.

Severus looked up again. "Harry," he said, "the way your hormones are acting, you'll be begging me to fuck you before the end of tomorrow."

He snorted. "You wish."

* * *

It was a well know fact that Severus Snape was a stubborn man. At times, he could be down right cruel. He was difficult, malicious and sarcastic and could strike fear into the hearts of many. But Harry had learned that he was also kind and gentle and giving and so it was to this private, softer side of him that Harry now presented his case. 

"Come _onnnnnn_," he whined, "I'm hornnny!"

Severus spared Harry's naked form a quick glance before returning to his reading. "So I see," he said.

"Well?" Harry pressed, a pained look of desperation in his face, "Aren't you gonna touch me?"

"No."

"Please! I'm so hard…_Please!_"

"Harry, if you do not cease humping my leg, I shall throw you out."

Harry let out irritated cry and flopped back onto the bed, flinging his arms in the air dramatically. "What's so interesting in that damn magazine that it takes residence over me?" he demanded.

Severus glanced sideways at Harry and shook his head in bemusement.

"'Precedence'," he said.

"What?"

"It takes 'precedence' over you, not 'residence'. And to answer your poorly put question, there is a rather fascinating article on the effects moonstone can have when added to a mixture containing milkweed and more than a tablespoon of powdered candantine leaf. The results are quite catastrophic to say the least, although invisible to the naked eye. One simply wouldn't know there was a problem until it had been ingested into the human system and…" He caught the look on Harry's face and stopped. "Well you _did_ ask!"

Harry let out a frustrated scream through gritted teeth that ended in a vicious growl. Severus hid a grin.

"Sev…_please_, I'll do anything! I'm dying here!" His voice was so full of dry, anguished sobs that Severus had to bite his lip hard to keep from laughing.

"You were the one who said 'no sex'," he reminded him lightly. "You shouldn't make threats that you can't carry through."

His lover threw another tantrum and Severus smirked into the pages of his magazine.

"Snape, come on!" The whining started again. "Please! _Oh, please!_ Sev-er-uuusss!" And then it stopped. Severus finished the line he was reading and was just contemplating sneaking a look over at Harry when he spoke again, only this time his voice was much more subdued.

"Make love to me, Severus," he said softly. "I need you."

"Ah, a change of tactics, I see," Severus noted.

"No," said Harry, slightly rushed. "No, it's not. I really do need you. You're so beautiful and gorgeous, hot, sexy, stunning, and incredible…"

"Flattery, Mr. Potter, will get you nowhere."

"And you're so _good_ in bed and you have such a _huge_ cock…"

Severus lowered the magazine. "On second thoughts…"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Severus stomped down the stairs, his jaw tight, his hands shaking as he fastened his dressing gown closely around him. He burst into the living room and went straight for the cabinet where they stored the more expensive liquor. He grabbed a bottle and a glass and poured himself a good amount, which he downed in one, as Harry hurried through the door after him. 

"It's no big deal," he was saying, "I'm sure it happens to everyone. It's a very common thing."

"Harry," he warned, "Don't, OK? Just…don't."

Harry sighed and bit his lip, looking uncomfortable. He spent a moment fidgeting before reaching forwards and snatching the bottle of scotch from Severus's hands. "This isn't going to help matters, is it," he stated plainly.

Severus glared at him.

"Well it isn't! Look," he said, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I'm sure that every now and then it happens to everyone over a certain age."

"I'm 40!"

"Stop snapping at me! I'm only trying to help. This is just as awkward for me as it is for you, you know."

Severus scoffed at him. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry if my lack of an erection is causing you problems! My sympathies are with you, I'm sure!"

"I didn't mean it like that!" Harry hastened to correct. "I meant…well, maybe…maybe _I'm_ the reason you can't…you know…get it up."

Severus stared at him. "Where on earth did you get an idea like that?"

Harry snorted in disbelieve and held out his arms, as if on show. "Look at me," he said. "I'm huge, I have stretch marks, my arse has grown, my thighs wobble – tell me, who'd want this?"

"Me!" Severus replied in earnest. "Harry, you're being ridiculous!"

"That's what I keep telling myself," he replied. "I'm not gonna throw some fit over the way I look – I'm pregnant, it's all part of it, I know that. But I can't even make you get hard anymore. What am I supposed to think?"

Severus shook his head in amazement. "It happens just this once and you're already blaming yourself?"

"What else could it be?" Harry argued.

It was Severus's turn to fidget. "You said it yourself, it happens to everyone at some stage."

"I made that up," he admitted with a shrug. "It's what the people on TV say to someone whenever this happens…it seemed like the thing to do…"

Severus fought down a chuckle – if Harry hadn't been busy doubting himself, he would have let it out. He settled for letting a small smile reach his lips; he seemed to smile more when he was with Harry then he had ever done in his lifetime.

"You're adorable," he said. He held out a hand; "Come here."

Harry did, complaining, "I even waddle now. How pathetic is that?" as he went.

"Not pathetic at all," he assured him. He helped Harry onto his knee and wrapped his arms loosely around him. "I'm sorry about this. It's probably just exhausted. We do have sex an awful lot."

"Not as much as we used to," Harry reminded him, and Severus couldn't argue with that, nor could he come up with a reason. Harry had spent a fair amount of time over the last few weeks helping Ron and Hermione with their new home, but he was never gone all day and he always returned in high enough spirits. Maybe the pregnancy was taking more out of him then he'd thought? Or maybe he just wasn't in the mood…although tonight's demonstration proved otherwise…

Severus felt humiliation wash over him once more. Of all the things to happen…! He didn't really understand it himself; they'd been kissing and Harry had been hard and naked and Severus had _wanted_ him – but when you don't get an erection after ten minutes of snogging and fondling you _know_ something is wrong. He would have found the whole thing extremely amusing if it had happened to anyone else.

"I think we should write a list," said Harry. Severus broke away from his musings and looked up. _If that damn brat was going on about shopping now…!_

"A list?" he asked, confused; "Of what?"

Harry hesitated before continuing and Severus didn't miss the blush that coloured his cheeks.

"Of things," he said timidly. "Sexual things. Things you'd like to do in the bedroom. Or not in the bedroom. Things you'd like to try. They can be kinky things if you like."

_Definitely not a shopping list then._

Severus wasn't entirely sure he understood what Harry was saying; or maybe he did understand, but just didn't believe it – he wasn't really sure which. Something of his confusion must have shown, for Harry carried on in that awkward, shy way of his.

"I've, erm...sort of wrote this list down," he stumbled, "…of things I'd like to do, you know…with you. So if you write some down as well…we could swap and see what we'd be comfortable with."

Behind the blush, Harry looked hopeful. Severus felt his insides squirm. _Now_ he understood alright. But again, he wasn't sure what he was feeling – there was fear, and worry was definitely there, but there was also hope and excitement. He told himself to relax.

"I'm sensing there's a bigger picture here," he said at last.

"Nope," said Harry, "No picture. Just a list."

"Harry," he sighed. "If you wanted to do something then you should have just said. How long have you been keeping this to yourself?"

"Not that long," he said, sounding suspiciously like he was lying. "Honest," he added. "And I didn't mention it 'cause I didn't want to make you uncomfortable in case you didn't want to try anything different."

Severus didn't know what to say. He still wasn't even sure what to think! Despite what Harry may say, it sounded as though he'd been having these thoughts for quite some time. But why hadn't he said something? The reason he had given, whilst plausible, didn't seem like his Harry; it seemed more likely to Severus that his lover had just been too shy to broach the subject. Not that he could blame him really – talking about sex was always a blush-worthy subject; but they were close, weren't they? He'd hoped they'd be able to tell each other anything.

Well…that was a little hypocritical of him. He'd wanted to do more with Harry since they'd returned from their holiday, way back in July, only he'd quashed that feeling straight away as he'd been afraid of pressuring Harry. He'd stupidly assumed that when Harry was ready to try more things he'd let him know. But here they were…and apparently Harry had been pining away for more 'daring displays of animal passion' for a long while. How could he have let Harry down like this? How could he have missed the signs? He should have been more accommodating, more approachable…

_Hang on._

Harry wanted to try things. Severus wanted to try things. And here they were, starting a discussion on it. So why, _WHY_, was Severus just sitting there like an _idiot_, agonising over what he should have done?

_Harry Potter is sat on your lap, expressing his desire to spice things up in the bedroom. Say something!!_

"Er…"

"It's alright if you don't," Harry said quickly, "Really, it is. I just wanted to see if you wanted to. It was stupid, I'm sorry."

"What? No, Harry, it's OK. I'd like to do things. I'd be interested in doing something different." _Did that sound as stupid as he thought it did?_

Apparently not, because Harry brightened up. "You would?"

"Yeah," Severus smiled with relief. "What did you have in mind?"

"I'll go and get my list," Harry said and he made to get up, but Severus held him firmly in place.

"No," he said, starting to grin and feeling more like himself again, "You can tell me."

Harry gulped and it went straight to Severus's cock. "Tell you?"

"Tell me," he said again.

"Well," said Harry, face flaming, "there's this one I've been thinking about a lot…"

"Go on," he urged softly.

Harry shifted on his knee, clearly embarrassed. "You...you tie me to the bed," he mumbled, eyes not meeting Severus's, "and you touch me everywhere. And then you fuck me so hard. I like it when you're rough with me," he added; "Not sadistic rough, but _rough_, you know? And maybe we could get some of those sex toys? …And then there's another one, a fantasy…we're in the Great Hall and no one else is there, it's just us…you know? And then there's this other one…"

"Yes?"

Harry bit his lip and shook his head. "I can't. You'll think I'm stupid."

Knowing that words would probably fail him, he pressed his (finally!) growing erection into Harry's thigh. "Go on," he managed.

"I've sort of…always wondered what you look like when you mastur..." he broke off, swallowed, and then continued, "…when you touch yourself. You've seen me to do it, but I've never watched you…I want to know what you look like."

By the time he was finished, Harry's eyes were looking into Severus's and there was such heat in them. Severus gulped at their intensity and then smiled.

"I think it's time we had a little fun," he said.

* * *

Harry joined Arthur Weasley as they followed a nervous Ron down the aisle of the packed church. It was a relief to know that this day was here, was happening, and would soon be over with, as it meant the end to Hermione's obsessive behaviour which, until this morning, he had thought couldn't possibly get any worse. 

He'd woken up in the early hours to Hermione's shrill voice shouting for him through the fireplace. Thinking that something terrible had happened, he'd struggled out of bed and had dashed into the living room…only to have Hermione yell more orders at him.

She'd wanted him to get Severus to make him a potion that would _get rid of his baby bump! _Not just from muggle eyes like they had previously agreed, but from _all_ eyes, including his own! Harry had argued back – this was his _baby_ and he was _proud_ and he wanted his bump, _goddamnit_, but she was having none of it! She'd been thinking about it all night, she'd said, and she wanted Harry to "look lovely" on both muggle _and_ magic photographs and if he _dared_ to turn up at her wedding looking like a fat penguin then there would be trouble! And before Harry could argue some more, she'd disappeared, quickly to be replaced by Ron's head who'd muttered apologies before breaking the connection altogether.

So, to rephrase…A _thin, baby bump-less_ Harry joined Arthur Weasley as they followed Ron down the aisle. He was still quietly seething about the whole thing but he didn't let it show; he kept a smile on his face as he walked down the down the church, scanning the room as he went.

It was rather strange, he thought, to see wizards and witches sat on one side and muggles on the other, and it was downright bizarre to see Dumbledore, of all people, dressed in a suit. The invitations Ron and Hermione had sent out to the witches and wizards had all contained notes warning them that there would be a great number of muggles in attendance. Harry had to admit he was impressed with the effort they'd all made, including Hagrid who had ditched his hairy brown suit in favour of something more formal, although this didn't stop the muggles from glancing at him every now and then – his sheer size alone was enough to draw anyone's attention.

Harry and Mr. Weasley reached the altar where Ron was now looking out from, glancing nervously at the people gathered and obviously trying his best to ignore Seamus, Dean, and Neville, who were all grinning and pointing at him from near the back.

Mr. Weasley took his seat next to Charlie and Harry went to join Ron.

"How you feeling?" he asked, as all the guests started chattering once more.

"Sick," he replied. "There's too many people here. What if I make an idiot of myself? What if I forget my lines?"

"You won't forget your lines," Harry assured him. "The vicar reads them to you, remember?"

"Oh yeah…yeah, I remember." He absently gazed around the church for a few moments, trying to pull himself together, before returning his eyes to Harry.

"You got the rings?"

Harry entertained the idea of pretending he'd lost them, but he took sympathy on his friend.

"Safe and sound," he said, patting his pocket. "Ron, relax. Everything's gonna be fine. OK?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I…" he trailed off, nodding to himself, as the procession started up again.

Harry looked over at the double doors. The Groomsmen (Fred and George) were on their way down the aisle, dressed like Harry was – black tuxedo, grey waistcoat, black tie, and white flower pinned to the left breast pocket. Fred was escorting his own mother, who was wearing a frilly, dark blue dress, whilst George escorted Mrs. Granger. When they reached the altar they parted, the mothers taking their seats, the twins joining Ron and Harry.

"Oh God, bridesmaids next," muttered Ron, and sure enough, just as the words left his mouth, the soft music that had been playing in the background grew louder and the in through the doors walked Luna and Melissa, looking beautiful in their icy blue gowns. When they reached the altar they went right and stood facing the crowds.

"And now Ginny," Ron muttered. Harry looked away from the two bridesmaids to see Ginny, the Maid of Honour, coming in through the open door. As she made her way down the aisle she saw Harry and grinned at him, who grinned back.

Originally, the plan had been to have the Best Man and the Maid of Honour walk down the aisle together. However, after Ron had complained at length about not wanting to wait that long on his own, Hermione had shuffled things about at the last minute.

Thinking of Hermione reminded him of his absent bump and he mentally checked his features to make sure he was still smiling. He honestly couldn't believe her sometimes…after they'd gone to all that trouble to buy Harry's extra large suit at the last minute, she'd changed her mind and had delivered Harry a tuxedo of his usual size, along with the information that his bump wouldn't be attendance. And all for the bloody wizarding photographs!

The music stopped and Harry looked over at the door. Everyone stood up, the Wedding March began, the doors opened once more, and his anger was forgotten.

Being escorted down the aisle by her father was Hermione and she looked incredible. Her bushy hair was no more – instead, loose elegant curls were clipped back, with a few strands falling down to frame her face. Her dress was made up of a white bodice and a long beautiful tulle skirt with ruffles that swayed slightly as she walked. She beamed at Ron.

* * *

The photo's had been taken, the food eaten, the speeches made, and the plates cleared away. Now the lights were being dimmed and Ron and Hermione were making their way onto the floor for their first dance as man and wife. A slow song came on and it seemed to Harry that everyone in the room got out a camera to capture the moment. 

Harry was sat at the top table next to Molly Weasley, watching them drift slowly around the dance floor. In a weird, selfish sort of way he felt as if he had lost his two best friends – Ron and Hermione were 'Mr. and Mrs. Weasley' now and they were off to start their new life together in Scotland once the honeymoon was over. Of course, wizards had ways of visiting each other everyday without any effort, but would Ron and Hermione want to? Harry imagined they'd be too caught up in each other to think about him.

He knew it was selfish to think that way; almost hypocritical to a point – after all, Harry had Severus and the baby. But Severus was his lover, whereas Ron and Hermione were his _best friends_. They were the ones he talked to when he couldn't talk to Severus, they were the one's who had always been there for him.

Still, he was happy for them. Really. And it had been such a lovely day, despite the way Hermione had kicked it off that morning. She was fully forgiven now.

As the music played on, more people started to join the happy couple. Harry saw Fred (or maybe it was George?) lead Hermione's merry Grandmother onto the floor. Next to him, Mrs. Weasley got up and she and her husband, along with Hermione's parents, followed.

Sighing, Harry looked down the table. He and Ginny were the only ones left and she was looking at him hopefully. Resigned, he gave her a smile and led her onto the dance floor.

As the song didn't require much movement, he was comfortable enough to just sway and turn with the music, one hand rested on Ginny's hip whilst the other was held firmly in her own. He knew Severus was looking at him, he could almost feel the stares prickling the back of his neck, but he made no effort to look round. Honestly, if the man was jealous than he was an idiot – he was dancing with a _girl_, who also happened to be the Maid of Honour – it was practically his duty as Best Man to dance with the Maid of Honour!

Finally, the song came to a close and the couples left the floor to be replaced by children as a faster, livelier song started to play.

Harry kissed Ginny's hand, making her giggle, and escorted her back to her seat before making his own way around the room to Severus's table.

Severus had been seated with fellow Order members Dumbledore, McGonagall, Tonks, Kingsley, Hagrid, Sirius, and Remus. Harry had no idea why Hermione had thought that seating his lover near his godfather would be a good idea; so far it looked like no trouble had broken out, but Harry had a feeling they were only holding it together because of Dumbledore's presence.

"Harry, my dear boy!" Dumbledore greeted him, "How good to see you again."

"You too," he smiled at the Headmaster. "Did you enjoy the service?"

"I was just saying to everyone what a wonderful ceremony it was. Quite fascinating indeed. It's been years since I attended a muggle wedding."

"How's the baby doing?" asked Tonks from across the table.

"Fine," he smiled, "All fine."

"Severus told us why your charming bump had disappeared," said Dumbledore, eyes twinkling.

"Honestly," said McGonagall, "Women will do anything to make sure their wedding day is perfect. I should know, I have three daughters."

The chatter continued and Severus got up to fetch Harry a spare chair. He sat down with a smile and soon lost himself in the gossip.

By the time the caterers had set up the evening buffet, Harry had been dragged out onto the dance floor more so many times that he'd lost count. Dancing was something he usually only let himself do when he was drunk as he was quite terrible at it. It seemed that his lack of skills went unnoticed however and by the time he'd danced with both Hermione and Molly Weasley, he found he was actually enjoying it.

As the evening turned into night and the older guests started to disappear, Harry lost himself in wondering, once again, about his own wedding. He hadn't let himself think too much about that subject for a long time but it was hard not to now; one look at Ron and Hermione told him just how happy they were and he envied them the journey they would be taking together.

He guiltily imagined himself and Severus sitting at the top table, surrounded by their guests. Sirius and Remus would be up there with them, along with Mrs. Snape and Ron and whoever Severus chose as his Best Man. After seeing how beautiful Ginny and Luna had looked in their dresses, Harry had decided that he too wanted bridesmaids at his wedding.

And perhaps they could go back to Rome for their honeymoon? Or maybe somewhere they hadn't been, somewhere with a beach, like the Caribbean or the Maldives? And when they got back from their honeymoon they could cuddle up together at home and look through the wedding photographs.

Harry stomach clenched at the thought. He wanted that life so much. He wanted to experience the excitement and the sheer amount of love something like that could bring.

He had an option. He could either continue to bury these feelings whenever they arose, or he could talk to Severus. Surely talking wouldn't do any harm? Maybe what they needed was an in-depth discussion about it, to sort out their feelings on the matter once and for all? He couldn't really go on imaging if it wasn't going to happen – it wasn't healthy.

"Severus," he said, heart beating a mile an hour, "Do you remember when you said that marriage was pointless…and that you didn't want to do it?"

"Yes, I remember," he replied.

"Do you still feel that way?"

Severus surveyed him before answering. "You can't honestly say you _want_ to get married, can you?"

"Well, yeah…I sort of do. I mean, I _really_ do."

It seemed that Severus had froze for a moment and Harry would have given almost anything to do know what was going on in his mind. His eyes searched Harry's face, as if looking for some sign that he was joking, before he turned away and face the table.

"Well I don't," he said tightly. "So you can get that idea out of your head right now."

A horrible cold washed over Harry at those words. Severus sounded so final. But no…there was no way Harry could pretend…it would always be there, that yearning for more, for family…Was he being selfish? Maybe, but this was something serious and he needed to do something about it.

"Severus," he said, standing up. "Can I talk to you outside?" And he left the table, knowing Severus would follow and knowing this could all end in tears.

* * *

**A/N:** Seeeee? I didn't take two months this time! Yay me! Thank you all for your lovely reviews! 


	16. What Harry Wants

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: What Harry Wants**

Severus wasn't a fool. He had known this would happen eventually. Ever since they had visited his mother's home and Harry had woken him during the night – he'd known. And every night since, he had silently hoped that his lover wouldn't ask about it again, for Harry wouldn't like his reasons for not wanting to get married; it would make him ask questions about trust and commitment.

As he followed Harry into an empty corridor, he thought back to when he was still single…single and coming to terms with the realisation that he was attracted to Harry Potter. He'd thought about marriage, back then – it had been one of the many (more innocent) things he'd imagined doing with Harry.

But Severus knew the difference between fantasy and reality. Fantasying about marriage was all well and good, but when faced with the real thing, when it could _actually_ be made possible…He loved Harry with all his heart and he had always believed that he would do anything to make him happy, but he was fast discovering that there were limits. The very thought of marriage frightened him, and Severus wasn't frightened easily.

They made their way across the lobby area and stepped outside into the cool night air. It must have rained earlier on in the evening, for the parked cars sparkled in the lights flooding out from the hotel.

Harry shivered in the cold as he turned to face his lover.

"Here," said Severus, shrugging off his jacket.

"Severus…" Harry started, but he didn't finish. He looked down and waited until the jacket had been placed comfortably around his shoulders. When Severus pulled away, there was a silence.

"I don't want us to fall out over this," Severus said at last.

Harry shook his head. "Me neither." He paused and looked away again. Severus took that moment to glance down at the necklace Harry had given him for Christmas. The colours on his pendant corresponded with his lover's mood and currently it was a deep blue – deep blue meant upset. Severus' heart clenched.

"Why don't you want to marry me?" asked Harry, turning back to him.

"Why are you even thinking about marriage?" Severus asked earnestly. "We've been together for less than a year. No one wants that sort of pressure thrown at them after such a short time."

"I'm not saying I want to get married _now_," Harry quickly explained, "Even I know how stupid that would be. But I need to know that one day in the future it will happen for us."

"Then why don't we discuss this when that time arrives?" he suggested, hoping to put an end to this nonsense – it wouldn't do for Harry to get too worked up over it and the last thing he wanted was an argument.

However, Harry seemed to be thinking along different lines. "Because knowing you, you'll still be this stubborn, unmoving man," he muttered darkly. "I need to know we're going somewhere."

"Of course we're going somewhere!" Severus exclaimed; "We're having a baby together!"

"So you don't mind having a child together, but you _do_ mind getting married?"

Severus sighed in frustration. "It's not like that; it's different."

"How so?" he challenged.

"The baby wasn't planned."

"So you're only with me for the sake of the baby?"

"I'm with you because I love you!"

"And if you love me, you'll say you'll marry me!"

"That's not how it works, Harry!"

"I just don't understand," Harry said heatedly, throwing his arms out. "There is no bigger commitment than having a child together. I figured that marrying you would be easy after that since the hardest steps had been taken. I want us to be a family!"

"We don't have to get married to be a family," Severus told him, agitated. "You're doing it again, building this perfect little world around you. You need to stop it!"

"Don't you tell me what I need to do!" Harry yelled.

Severus backed away, shrugging and shaking his head. He couldn't believe that this was his Harry. Was this all down to pregnancy hormones? Was the miscarriage still affecting him? Or did he really feel this strongly about getting married? Whatever it was, Severus dearly missed his cheerful, confident lover.

Well, so much for avoiding an argument.

"You don't know what you're doing, do you," Severus said scornfully.

"I'm providing a family for our unborn child."

"No, Harry, you're not. You're acting like a selfish little shit. You're acting like a child!"

Harry's eyes flashed. "Well then, you can't complain. You knew my age before you got involved with me. It's not my fault you have a thing for kids."

Shocked at Harry's words, Severus felt his anger welling up again but he clenched his teeth to prevent himself from speaking. He heard Sirius Black's shout of _'paedophile'_ echoing round his head and he had to fight harder to control his urge to lash out.

He surveyed Harry in the silence and noticed that he looked a little shaken. It was a small comfort to him to know that Harry regretted his words.

"I'm going to ignore that comment," he said at last, cold and angry.

"Look," said Harry, uncomfortably, "I just fail to see why having a baby doesn't scare you, yet the idea of marriage does."

"Marriage complicates things," he snapped, "It makes everything so much harder!"

"How?"

"Because when a marriage ends, it hurts!" he shouted. "I can't bear the thought of losing you as it is! But losing you after getting married…it would destroy me. It would mean divorcing you and that is something I wouldn't be able to do!"

The very air seemed to vibrate with his confession and he wished he could be back in his dungeons at Hogwarts, making his potions, doing what he did best. As it was, he was stuck here in this car park, having this stupid conversation with the man he loved, completely out of his depth.

He knew his love had been strongly worded in what he had just said – after all, his reasons for not marrying were based on his fears of losing Harry – but he was pretty sure that that would be ignored, for his lover was big on the trust between them. He knew exactly how Harry would take his admission and he knew the questions he would ask. The first one being…

"You have so little faith in us?"

Severus almost snorted. He really should warn Harry about being so damn predictable.

"I don't know what to say," he told Harry. "I trust you, and I trust myself around you…but…" He shrugged hopelessly. "Who knows what's going to happen in the future. Something could come in between us, we could stop getting along so well…"

"I could meet someone younger."

Severus stared.

"Well?" said Harry. "It's what you're thinking, isn't it? I know it is. And you know what? It's always gonna be a fucking issue with you."

"Can you blame me?" he shot back.

Harry choked, but on sobs or laughter Severus couldn't tell.

"You say you trust me, yet you won't marry me in case I run off with someone my own age? What do you take me for?" He shook his head, staring at Severus with unbelieving eyes. "You know what? All I've ever wanted was a family. To love someone and to have someone love me. But _this?_ Severus, this is just…We're going round in circles and no matter how many times you say you trust me, you're never going to have any faith, are you? You know what?" he said again. "Fuck this."

And with one last look at Severus, Harry turned and made his way back inside.

* * *

The one-bedroom terraced house Severus had purchased all those years ago had never been _home_. For years it had been nothing more than his own personal storage facility, a place he had only visited once a year when Hogwarts was closed for the summer. He'd never bothered with the gardening or the decorating or the cleaning, as long as it was liveable for those two months out of each year. 

But when Harry had moved in, his feelings towards the small house had changed dramatically. What was that saying? '_Home is where the heart is?' _As long as Harry was there, it would be his home. _Their_ home.

Now, without Harry's presence, the house felt empty. He told himself that it was stupid to consider things as such; after all, it wasn't the first time during their relationship that Severus had had the house to himself. But it was different now. The silence, the emptiness…it was all so final.

Severus took a deep, unsteady breath and sighed, resting his head in his hand. He wasn't entirely sure what to do. He'd never had a break-up before. His few other relationships had just sort of…faded away. This had ended so abruptly and Harry had been so upset. He glanced down at his necklace and saw that it was still deep blue. He imagined the one around Harry's neck would be the exact same.

This was it. No more being happy. No more love, no more Harry, no more future. And he'd been looking forward to it so much – living their lives together, bringing up their child, taking all those new and exciting steps.

This was a new step alright, but it was far from being exciting and was completely in the wrong direction.

As he sat there, trying to make sense of things, he felt his grief threatening to spill over. He could almost visualise it, a bucket of ice cold water preparing to be poured into his very soul. He wasn't a stranger to that feeling and he knew very well how to handle it, but in this new context…Harry, _his_ Harry, the Harry he loved, the Harry he was devoted to…

He straightened himself in his seat. Severus Snape did not mourn. There were other things to consider here. He couldn't be selfish. If anything, he should be thankful that the fates had allowed him at least _some_ happiness. He needed to be practical.

First things first; he would have to make sure he got access to his child – _nothing_ was going to stop him from being a father! And when Harry started dating again, well, he'd have to make sure that he only dated honourable people, people trustworthy enough to be around the baby, people who would make Harry happy because _clearly_ Severus wasn't up to the job.

He shut his eyes tight and tried to will his feelings to go away. Love, pain, regret. God, he was so lost! He really didn't know what to do.

He supposed the obvious was to get in touch with Albus; he'd need to see if it was possible to have his job back early – he couldn't very well sit and mope about the house. It wasn't dignified.

And to think, he'd intended to spend the rest of his years with Harry, watching his baby grow. He tried to remind himself that he was going to get access but that did no good. 'Access' seemed like such a harsh word now…people had to allow him 'access' to his own flesh and blood, like he was some sort of drunken fool who wasn't capable of being a father! He was damn well capable! God, he was going to miss it all…the first words, the first steps…everything. And Harry…his heart truly belonged to Harry.

He felt his eyes begin to prickle. Without a second thought, he brought his legs up, tucking his knees against his chest and burying his face in his arms.

Fuck dignified.

* * *

It was gone midnight when Severus was woken up. Groggy-eyed, he rearranged himself in his chair and looked about the dimly lit room. He froze. 

Standing in front of the fire, obviously having just floo'd in, was none other than Harry Potter. His cheeks were slightly pink, as if he'd been stood in the cold for too long, and his hair had returned to its usual windswept self. Severus's jacket was held loosely from one hand.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, barely believing his eyes as he got to his feet.

Harry didn't answer straight away. His eyes moved from Severus down to the jacket he was holding. For a moment, he seemed transfixed by the clothing, as if he hadn't realised he was carrying it, but now that he had it was the strangest thing. Eventually, he tossed it onto Severus's writing desk and looked up.

"I live here," he said.

"Yes, of course you do," Severus hastened to say, not even trying to conceal the hope shining in his face, "But I thought that – "

"I'm going to bed," Harry cut across him. "You can take the sofa."

Severus watched, anxious and confused, as Harry crossed the room and went out into the hall. He heard his footfalls as he climbed the stairs, the creak of the floorboards when he reached the landing, and then the opening and closing of the bedroom door. When, again, the house had fallen silent, Severus sat back down in his chair.

What the hell did _this_ mean?

* * *

When Severus walked into the kitchen the next morning, it was to find that breakfast was already on the table. But it wasn't just the usual cereal or toast that he was accustomed to finding in the mornings. Bacon, eggs, sausages, tomatoes…the table had never been so full. Bread and butter, cheese and crackers, tea, coffee, juice – there was even a bowl of ice cream, complete with wafers and chocolate flakes! 

Harry, who had now returned to his six-months-pregnant size, was stood at the far end of the kitchen, hovering over the stove. He looked up when Severus entered and smiled. "The apple pie is nearly ready," he told him, reaching for a pair of oven mitts.

"Apple pie…" Severus repeated, gazing round at all the dishes; "Harry, what is all this?"

Harry shrugged and disappeared for a moment as he bent down to retrieve the pie. When he reappeared, he placed the dessert on the table with the rest of the food.

"I felt like cooking," he said brightly, in answer to the questioning look Severus was giving him.

"What do you plan to do with all this?" he asked.

"Well, what do people usually do with food?" Harry smiled. "Eat it, silly."

Severus was so confused he didn't even try to make sense of Harry's mood. Instead, he allowed himself to be ushered into his seat and a plate of Full English to be placed in front of him.

"It's a bit much for just two people, isn't it?" he said, watching Harry, who was now adding milk to Severus's cup of tea.

"Well what we don't eat I can always put away for later on. A simple spell with preserve it all. Here you go," he added, putting the cup down, "Your tea, just the way you like it in the morning – milk and two sugars; sweet, just like me."

"What? Oh, I, erm…yes, thank you."

"Now, is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked.

Severus set the cup aside. "Yes," he said, "You can tell me the name of the drug you've taken."

Harry laughed. "Can't a guy do something nice for his beloved? Now come along, tuck in."

Severus did so, but he kept an eye on the man now sitting opposite him. He had never known Harry to act so, well…_himself_. This was Harry, cheerful, giving Harry…only it didn't feel right, not after what had happened – they should be talking or arguing, not sitting here in this false domestic bliss.

No, something definitely wasn't right. Either Harry was under some sort spell or he was up to something on his own…Yes, that was it – he was up to something! There was no way Harry, or even acting-on-the-impulse-of-his-hormones Harry, would be this forgiving after such an argument. Or maybe he wasn't up to something? Maybe he just felt guilty about last night? That could be it – no matter what Harry said, it looked to Severus that this was guilt food. Well, either that or it was some sort of bribe. Or maybe it was poisoned?

Oh no.

Cursing his paranoia (and not for the first time), he lowered his fork away from his mouth and looked across at Harry. He hadn't touched his food.

This was crazy. Purely and utterly crazy. Of course Harry hadn't poisoned him! The very idea was ludicrous! And yet…

He found himself remembering back to when Harry had saved Hermione during the war. She had been falling at a terrifying speed, heading straight for the lake and imminent death, when Harry had jumped after her. He had caught up to her falling body just before it had hit the water.

Dumbledore had explained later on that Harry had been able to do this because of his sheer will. At that precise moment, Harry had wanted nothing more than to save his friend and his magic had responded in a very rare way that had made it possible. Dumbledore had said that Harry had been able to control his magic to an extraordinary length, but Severus had seen it the other way around – it made more sense that the _magic_ had taken control of _Harry_.

Harry was a very powerful being but he rarely used his magic. What if (and Severus felt completely ridiculous for thinking this), but what if his magic had taken control of him again? Harry wanted to get married…Maybe his power was finding ways to make it possible? Maybe Harry and his magic were planning on controlling Severus?

And then his sense caught up with his imagination. Had those years with the Dark Lord really made Severus _this_ paranoid? He was almost ashamed. This was just _Harry_ – Harry feeling guilty, or else trying to be nice to get Severus to change his mind about not marrying him.

Laughing to himself, he gulped down a forkful of sausages and tomatoes.

"What's so funny?" asked Harry, pulling the bowl of ice cream towards him.

"My state of mind," he replied.

"And what state of mind would that be?"

Severus considered the man in front of him. There were so many things he needed to say, that he needed to ask, but he found he couldn't voice them. He'd been so upset last night at the thought of life without Harry but the man's antics this morning were just adding to his confusion. Were they still together? Or was Harry expecting him to propose marriage in order to get back together?

_He should have been a Slytherin…_

"What do you want from me?" Severus asked. "Right now, at this very moment, what do you want?"

Harry bit his lip, the way he always did when he was about to say something that would be awkward for one of them.

"I love you, Severus," he said quietly, "I do, I really do. But marriage is something I need. Call me selfish but…I need it to be a part of my life. I want the three-tiered cake, I want the wedding rings, I want the honeymoon…I want the thrill of preparing for my own wedding. I want to be a husband."

As Severus listened to Harry's plea, his heart sank. Nothing had changed then; Harry wanted something that Severus wasn't prepared to give – his own insecurities wouldn't allow it. What was he to do? Agree to marry Harry and live in fear of divorce? Or be himself and risk losing the love of his life? He wanted to promise Harry a future. He wanted to promise that yes, one day they would get married. But he couldn't, not until he had sorted his own issues out. Maybe, one day, yes…but he couldn't say that now. He needed more time.

"Harry…" But he didn't know what to say.

"Forget it," said Harry. "I know I'm being selfish, but this is just something I feel strongly about."

He stood up and, with a wave of his wand, all the food on the table vanished.

"I _will_ get you to marry me, Severus Snape."

Severus wasn't entirely sure if that was a threat or a challenge.

* * *

Harry stormed out of the house and allowed his feet to lead the way. It was a cold February morning and he quickly regretted not bringing a coat with him. He muttered the words to a warming spell and pocketed his wand, trudging down the street. 

His head was swimming with so many different things – wants, needs, ideas – each conflicting with the next. He wanted to go back and apologise just as much as he wanted to go back and curse.

_You selfish, selfish boy!_

But could anyone really blame him for wanting to get married? He'd been a lonely, neglected child for so long, dreaming that one day someone would come and rescue him and give him the life he hadn't thought possible. Those dreams had come true, in the very real form of Hagrid and Hogwarts School. But now it was something bigger, something stronger. Love was the greatest thing he had ever experienced and people in love tended to get married. Well, Harry wanted that too!

Selfish, yes. But not evil. He knew, deep down, that he would never force Severus to marry him – that wasn't love, that was power. But he wasn't prepared to give up yet – if it wasn't for Severus's fear of rejection…And since talking about it didn't seem to do the trick…Maybe if he made him jealous, showed him what he was missing?

Yes. And a house party seemed the right way to go about doing that. Bring it right to their door step.

And with new determination, he set off for Diagon Alley.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter gave me a whole load of trouble so in the end I just quit. Hehe. It was supposed to go on for a lot longer, but then I decided that it was _too_ long and so I cut it off and added the bit at the end. Be warned - the next chapter contains a very bratty Harry as his "plan" unfolds. 

Only two chapters to go! Haha, and I wanted this finished before book 7 came out! _That_ went well! I've already wrote the ending and I have to say I feel quite proud of it. There is a one last sequel (yes, I know, the long waiting between updates isn't over yet! Sorry!) but I'll tell you more about that later on. Right now, I really need to get some sleep.

Thank you for your patience!

xx


	17. The Love We Have

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg, OOC

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: The Love We Have**

"You want us to do _what?_"

Fred and George were staring at Harry as if he'd just declared that he wanted help in conquering the Universe _and_ had sprouted purple warts all over his face at the same time. He glared at the twins for their outburst and dragged them into a corner of the shop, away from the witch who had been trying to listen in.

"Oh, come on guys; it's not like I'm asking you to swim the English Channel naked or anything."

"No," agreed George, "But you _are_ asking us to make Snape angry."

"I'm not asking you to make him angry," Harry said. "I'm just asking you to get some people together for a party."

"Yeah," said George, "A party which has the intention of making Snape _angry_."

"Not angry," Harry assured him, "Just…jealous. When he sees me with other people, he'll realise how much he wants me for himself."

"_Or_ he'll just get angry," George said again. "You said it yourself – he's scared of losing you. How is seeing you with someone else going to make anything better?"

"Wouldn't it be a whole lot easier to just move out for a week?" Fred suggested; "You know – 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' and all that?"

"Look," Harry said, "Are you gonna help me out or not?"

"I dunno…" said George slowly, "It's really short notice…"

"And I've still got a hangover from the wedding last night," said Fred.

"Please guys," Harry pleaded, "You're the best party planners I know."

George shrugged and looked at his brother. "He's complimenting us, Fred. He _must_ be desperate."

Fred rolled his eyes and sighed. "Fine," he said, turning back to Harry. "You win. We'll get some people together. But don't say we didn't warn you," he added quickly, as a cheerful Harry headed for the door.

"He's digging his own grave, that one," George muttered, nodding after him.

* * *

Severus shifted uncomfortably in the chair, trying to remind himself of just why exactly he was here, in Albus Dumbledore's office. 

The old man had been a saint to him these passed years and he knew that without Albus' help, Severus would still be a wreck of a man with nothing but bad deeds to his name. Albus had always been there for him, had always been ready with his kind words of comfort and wise words of wisdom. Whenever Severus had needed to talk, Albus had always made himself available. Even now it was no different, despite Severus no longer holding a teaching position at the school – somewhere over the long years, the headmaster's anger at his betrayal had disappeared and he and Albus had become friends.

And now, once more, Severus was in need of his friend's advice – only this time, it was on a topic they rarely covered.

"So what can I do for you?" Dumbledore asked cheerfully, taking the seat opposite.

Severus tried not to act too nervous as he cleared his throat.

"I need to talk to you about my relationship with Harry."

"Ah, yes," smiled Dumbledore. "You looked so perfect together at the wedding yesterday. Although you _did_ disappear rather early…"

"Yes," he said awkwardly, "That's what I want to talk to you about. We had an argument."

To his amazement, Dumbledore's smile didn't falter. "My dear boy, everyone argues. It's part of being in love."

"This was different," Severus explained. "I thought we'd broken up, but then he came home. And this morning he was acting so strange – it was as if he was trying to be nice to get me to do what he wanted. As if cooking me breakfast could get me to marry him…"

"Marry?" Dumbledore frowned.

"Yeah," he sighed tiredly. "Harry wants to get married but I don't. It upset him so much. I can understand why he wants to though – he just wants to feel complete, be a proper family…he's tasted happiness and he wants more. But I can't get married to him, I just can't. I never thought I'd get married! I never thought I'd be in this position."

"You never thought you would fall in love, either," said Dumbledore softly. Severus glared at him. "Thing's change," the old man continued. "Tell me, Severus – why don't you want to get married? What are your reasons for feeling like this?"

"My reasons?" he scoffed. "Look at me! Who in their right mind would want to marry this?"

"Harry Potter."

Severus snorted. "I said 'in their _right_ mind'."

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. "You put yourself down too often, Severus. Harry loves you."

"Harry is a pregnant teenager. That means _twice_ the hormones. As soon as he hits his mid-twenties he'll realise what a big mistake he's made."

"Give him some credit," said Dumbledore. "Harry knows what he's doing. Think of all the things he's been through. He's been forced to grow up and, despite his tantrums, he is very mature of mind for his age. He knows he wants to be with you."

"He _thinks_ he does," Severus countered.

Dumbledore shrugged his shoulders and brought his wrinkled hands together on the table. "OK," he said, "Fine. People don't know what's going to happen in ten, twenty years time – I understand that. But that doesn't stop them from being together."

Severus's eyes wandered away from Albus. He was right of course, Severus knew. People took a chance on each other when they exchanged their wedding vows, but the world would be an awfully lonely place if they didn't. And he was right about Harry too – he _had_ been through a hell of a lot. He may act like a spoilt child at times, but he could also take charge of a situation in a thoroughly adult manner. And he'd had nothing growing up – it only made sense that he'd want someone to just give him a break and allow him something good of his own.

But even so, Severus wasn't comfortable with the position that left him in. Harry was expecting too much and Severus didn't like that sort of responsibility.

His eyes sort out Albus again.

"So you're saying I should just give in and marry him?" he asked.

"That's not what I'm saying at all," he replied. "What I'm saying is that you should have confidence in yourself and faith in your relationship."

"There is no relationship if I don't marry him though."

"Talk to him some more," he suggested. "He'll come round. Love is a rare gift, Severus; don't let it go."

* * *

Severus remained at Hogwarts for the rest of the morning, talking with Albus and delighting in the looks of pure terror his former students gave him. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed the castle until now, although he had no desire to be back permanently – that part of his life was over. When his three years were up and it was time for him to start work again, he would most likely be living in between places (providing he was still with Harry). 

The afternoon was spent in The Three Broomsticks with some of the other teachers. Horace Slughorn, his old Potions Professor and current replacement, was there, giving Severus the chance to indulge in intelligent conversation whilst the others looked at the photographs McGonagall had of the Weasley wedding. Dumbledore joined them towards the evening and got another round of drinks in. When conversation started to turn into gossip and when Hagrid passed out on the wooden table, they knew it was time to call it a night.

Severus returned home not thoroughly consoled, but in higher spirits nonetheless. On Dumbledore's orders he'd taken a potion to sober himself up. Assuming Harry was still at home, he was planning on talking with him again. He wasn't going to agree to marry him, but he felt that he _could_ perhaps promise that _one day_ it would happen for them. Dumbledore was right – he didn't know what was going to happen in the future and, as much as it was in Severus's nature to be negative about such things, he _supposed_ that there was always the chance that things could go well. Severus would eventually learn to trust. But for now, they just needed to live in the moment and see where things would take them. There needn't be any of this pressure.

But all plans to talk with Harry vanished the moment he appeared outside his home.

Music was banging, lights were flashing, and total strangers were spilling out of the front door and into the garden. What the _hell_ was going on here?

Thanking Merlin that he'd taken that potion, he stormed into the house. People paid no attention to him as he pushed his way into the kitchen, where beer cans and empty bottles littered the sideboards. After almost falling over twice, he straightened himself up and looked around. Most faces were unrecognisable, but some of them were definitely familiar…Finnigan, Thomas, Finch-Fletchley…oh, Dear Lord, the Weasley twins were here…

Trying to keep a lid on his anger, he turned towards the living room. Harry was behind this, he just knew it! But what that idiot was thinking, Severus had no idea. Surely this wasn't one of his attempts at getting Severus to marry him!

He entered the room and glanced around. The music was so loud he was honestly surprised that the neighbours hadn't been outside complaining. And all these drunken wizards in a muggle area…this definitely went against the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy!

But then his eyes fell on a certain six months pregnant young man and he found himself momentarily unable to think.

There, in the middle of the room, was Harry. No one else seemed bothered with the fact that a man known to be dating Severus Snape was dancing with some tall, skinny blonde guy. In fact, no one else seemed to have noticed.

His blood started to boil as he watched the man slide his hands down to cover Harry's plump belly. Harry seemed a little startled at the contact and he turned round but carried on dancing. That's when his eyes caught Severus's.

Guilty, frightened, pleading. Challenging.

And in that moment, Severus understood. Harry wanted Severus to come and save him. He wanted Severus to claim him as his own. He wanted Severus to make sure everyone knew just who Harry belonged to.

And so Severus did the only thing he could.

He laughed.

No one heard him over the music, but he laughed. He laughed because it was so pathetic and when Harry's eyes turned to confusion, he still laughed. He'd spent the entire day at Hogwarts, thinking through what he was going to say, and now he was home and Harry was dancing with some stranger, expecting to be rescued, expecting some show of devotion!

He was, once more, showing his age by being as immature as he could possibly be.

Severus pushed his way back into the kitchen and then out through the back door. He knew Harry would follow him so he took a few seconds to calm himself down. Sure enough, about a minute later, he felt a hand on his arm and he turned.

"How many times are we going to have to go through this?" he said, his voice low and dangerous. "No amount of threats and certainly no amount of challenges are going to make me marry you! Get that through your thick head."

"You're going to have to show your commitment to me at some point!" Harry argued.

"_Commitment?_ We're living together. We're having a child together. The whole fucking world knows we're together! And you're saying I have to show _commitment?_"

Apart from the glare Harry threw at Severus, he didn't respond.

Severus sighed heavily and ran his hands across his weary face. He was only 40 and yet he suddenly felt too old to be dealing with this. No matter what, it was always going to be _something_ with Harry. Did he really want to live like that for the rest of his life?

"I'm going," he said, making his mind up. "And when I get back, I expect all of these people to be gone. Is that clear?"

"Where are you going?" Harry asked.

Severus was about to say "I don't know" but for some reason his mouth couldn't manage it.

"My ex-girlfriend is back in England for a few days," he replied instead. "I told you about her, remember? The prostitute? I promised I'd pay her a visit – for old times' sake."

He apparated away before he could catch the look on Harry's face.

* * *

Severus reappeared in a deserted alleyway behind a large muggle shop. Cardboard boxes littered the floor and the brick walls on either side of him were covered in crude graffiti. He could hear the approaching voices of a group of muggles, so he quickly vanished his black robes and headed round the corner and out on to the main street. 

If you ever wanted to hide away (and assuming you didn't look like Dumbledore) then the muggle world was the ideal place. All you needed were the right sort of clothes and you could blend right in and become just another nameless face passing through the city streets. It provided a wizard with time – time to think, time to plan; and in Severus's case, time to work out just what the _hell_ was going on in his life.

He was so angry at Harry! The stupid brat was so _totally_ consumed by marriage and pregnancy hormones and…_God _only knows what other things were forming inside that head of his!

He wanted to scream, he really did! It had hurt so much to see Harry with someone else. Was that how he would feel for the rest of his life if they broke up? He wasn't sure he'd be able to cope with pain like that…

But there was something missing, Severus noticed as he continued down the street. He was angry and he was hurt…but he didn't feel betrayed.

That wasn't right was it? That feeling should have been right up there with pain.

His heart knew the answer to that straight away. He didn't feel betrayed because he hadn't _been_ betrayed. He'd seen Harry dancing with someone else and that had hurt, yes, but Severus had _known_ what Harry was up to. He'd _known_ that Harry was challenging him. Hell, Severus had laughed in his face! Harry wouldn't cheat on him; Harry wanted to _marry_ him! And Severus trusted him so completely.

He stopped in his tracks.

He trusted him.

Why, that scheming, conniving, manipulative little…!

Bloody Gryffindor. Should have been a Slytherin.

* * *

"I'm never going to get married," Harry whined, flinging himself down onto the sofa. 

"Of course you are," said Sirius brightly. "You're only 18, Harry. You've got plenty of time to meet someone special."

"Sirius!" Remus admonished.

"What?"

"You can be such an asshole sometimes, you know that!"

"Hey, no need to use that sort of language. God..."

"Why don't you go and make yourself useful and fetch Harry a drink, hm?" Remus suggested.

Sirius glowered but Remus's face was firm.

"Fine," his godfather huffed, getting up. "I know when I'm not wanted."

Remus glared at his lover and watched him cross the room, only relaxing once the door to the hall was shut. He shuffled up on the sofa next to Harry and put an arm around him.

"I'm sorry about him," he said. "You know what he's like." He gave Harry a small squeeze. "Has something happened with Severus?"

At the mention of that name, Harry groaned and buried his face in Remus's shoulder. "He won't marry me."

Remus hesitated before answering. "I'm sure he has his reasons," he said eventually. "It _is_ a bit soon. But perhaps one day he will."

Harry pushed himself away from Remus and sat up.

"I can't live my life based on 'perhaps'. I need to know."

"Severus doesn't strike me as the type of person who would enter into such a thing so lightly," Remus said carefully. "Harry…are you sure you've thought this through? I mean…just because you love someone and are having their baby doesn't mean you have to get married."

"I _want_ to get married."

Remus looked uncomfortable.

"It doesn't matter anyway," Harry told him miserably; "I've messed everything up. He won't ever want to see me again."

"I'm sure that's not the case."

Harry covered his face with his hands and sighed. "It is," he said; "Believe me, it is. I've been such an idiot, Remus."

"What happened?"

Harry gave a humourless laugh and shook his head. "It doesn't even bear thinking about."

"It can't have been that bad can it?"

Harry shook his head again. It had all seemed so simple this morning – make the man jealous, try to get a reaction out of him…Somewhere over the course of the day, Harry had taken leave of his senses. He'd wanted marriage _so_ much. He'd had this _love_ and he'd wanted to turn that love into the best possible thing it could be and…

…And Severus yelling at him like that had brought him back down to Earth with a _very_ nasty bump. And to add insult to injury, he'd only gone and driven the man back into the arms of his ex!

He felt his eyes begin to prickle and he wiped at them.

"I've lost him, Remus. He _hates_ me. But I love him so much and I've messed everything up. He _loved_ me…and I was selfish and greedy and I wanted more of that love and I pushed him too far."

Remus's face was sympathetic as he looked at him.

"You don't know you've got a good thing until it's gone, hm?"

"No," he sniffed. "No, I knew he was a good thing. But I let him go. I drove him away. I mean, he said he'll be back…but he's only going to throw me out, right?"

"Oh, Harry," Remus said softly, "I don't know what to say. Come here." And he pulled Harry back into a tight hug. Faced with such comfort, Harry couldn't help but let the tears go. He didn't deserve this. He hated himself so much! He'd ruined everything!

The door to the living room opened and Sirius returned with three cups of tea and a bottle of Brandy. He set them down on the small table in front of them and straightened himself up. He took one look at the tears on Harry's face and said, "Trouble in paradise, eh?"

Harry sobbed.

"You want my opinion?" he continued. "You need to be with someone who makes you happy."

"He does make me happy."

"You're not happy right now, kiddo."

"That's because I'm not with him anymore!" he screamed.

Sirius looked slightly taken aback at Harry's sudden outburst but he quickly recovered.

"Snape left you?" he asked.

There was something in his voice, something in his eyes, that Harry didn't like. He sat up.

"You hate him," Harry said, staring hatefully at his godfather. "And you hate that I love him. I bet you think I'm better off without him, right?"

Startled, Sirius looked to Remus for help.

"Harry wants to get married," Remus explained awkwardly, "But Severus…Severus doesn't."

Sirius turned back to Harry.

"He can't give you what you need then," he said with a shrug.

Harry's blood boiled. "He gave me his love!" he shouted. "Every single day I was with him, he loved me! I can't…I can't imagine my life without him. He's a part of me, a part of my life…and without him…everything's just worthless. And you," he said angrily, "You don't care. You don't care whether I'm happy or not, as long as I'm not with him! I hate you!"

He jumped to his feet, almost knocking the drinks off the table, and headed for the door. He needed to get away from here and he needed to get home. He needed to grovel, to beg for forgiveness…He ran down the hall but Sirius ran after him, grabbing hold of his arm. And when that hand wouldn't let go, Harry turned and landed a punch right on his godfather's cheek.

He exited the front door and apparated home.

* * *

It was almost 3 o'clock in the morning when Severus returned home. Harry had been sat at the kitchen table for the passed two hours, just staring down at the bowl of melting ice-cream in front of him, praying his lover would come back. His eyes were red from all the crying he'd done and his voice was hoarse from all the screaming. 

He'd had his apology ready and he'd been repeating it in his head, over and over. But now that he had a chance to give it, he found that he was empty of all emotion. Severus walked into the kitchen and Harry just stared at him as if he were staying at a wall.

"What are you doing up this late?" Severus asked.

Harry shook his head and looked down.

"I had a craving for ice-cream."

Harry knew Severus wouldn't believe that but he didn't care. He just wanted things to go back to normal.

His lover crossed the room and held out a hand.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get you to bed. We've both had a long day."

Harry pushed his bowl away and took hold of the surprisingly warm hand.

"I'm sorry," he said. He looked into Severus's face. "I'm so sorry. I love you so much. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"It's alright," he whispered. "Everything's going to be alright. I promise."

* * *

**A/N:** This was actually quite a long chapter to do. I kept rewriting bits and pieces of it and moving it all around. I thought it was never going to be done! 

lol, this is _completely_ random but...the other day I was bored so I started googling Alan Rickman (like you do, lol!) and I found this comment someone had made: "His voice has caused orgasms throughout the entire planet since the beginning of his career!" - It made me laugh and think of Snape and go all mushy inside! I think I'm in love...lol

Anywaaaaay...More on the last sequel next chapter. I'm too giddy from reminding myself of that comment to carry on writing!

Hope you enjoyed, and please review! xx


	18. Happy Families

**Rating:** M

**Warnings:** Slash, Mpreg, OOC

**Pairings:** SS/HP and SB/RL

**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Angst

**Summary:** Sequel to 'Life, Love and Everything in Between.' Back from their Holiday, Harry and Severus decide its time to tell Sirius and Remus about their relationship and Sirius is not happy. Harry decides he wants more from their relationship, but can Severus provide what he needs?

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Happy Families**

Harry woke up the next morning to the smell of bacon and eggs wafting deliciously through the small house. His stomach grumbled in delight at the promise of a full breakfast and he stretched his arms and legs before throwing off the bed covers.

But when he stood up and reached for his dressing gown, the events of the day before came rushing back to him and the hungry grumble in his stomach was quickly replaced by nerves. His knees gave way and he sat back down.

Harry had apologised last night and it seemed to him that Severus had accepted it. Did that mean everything was alright between them again? Or was Severus perhaps expecting him to grovel? It had, after all, been a quick apology and Severus Snape was definitely the type to hold grudges.

He put his head in his hands and cringed as a wave of nausea passed through him. He took a few slow, deep breaths and looked up through his fingers. He didn't want to think about how this was all his fault – he'd done enough of that last night and he lacked the energy to do it again. But if Severus wanted to talk, then Harry would talk – he owned the man _that_ much at least.

He stood up once more and reached again for his dressing gown. He was just tying it gently around his bump when the door to the bedroom opened.

"Good morning," Severus greeted him, "I was just coming to wake you. Breakfast is ready."

"Yeah," said Harry nervously, "I can smell it. It smells nice."

Severus smiled at him.

"Once you've eaten, I want you to get washed and dressed and ready to go out. I have a surprise for you."

Harry frowned. That wasn't right. "A surprise? Do you really think I deserve a surprise after the way I've been acting?"

For a moment, Severus just stood in the doorway, considering the man before him. Harry thought he looked rather relaxed just leaning against the frame, arms folded casually across his chest – the total opposite of what Harry was feeling; his stomach was still a bundle of nerves and his heart ached as if there were something crucial missing. He looked up into Severus's face and their eyes met. Then he felt a slight push against his mind and for a few brief seconds, Harry panicked.

But then he realised that he had nothing to fear; that this was, perhaps, the best way. Why try to explain his thoughts and feelings when they were there, waiting to be viewed? No lies, no games, no confusion – just the honest truth.

And so he allowed the connection and he felt Severus's mind touch his. He saw flashes of their argument at Ron and Hermione's wedding, saw his conversation with Remus, heard Severus telling him that he was going to visit his ex-girlfriend; he felt all kinds of emotion run through him as he witnessed each scene – love, hope, loss, anguish.

The connection broke and he found himself shaking in Severus's arms. He tightened his grip around his waist and buried his head into the safety of Severus's chest. He felt drained and at a loss, but there was no denying that he was relieved.

"I didn't go and see Penelope, you know," Severus said at last, breaking the silence.

"What?" Harry looked up but didn't detach himself from his lover.

"The prostitute I used to date," he explained. "Penelope, that was her name. I didn't see her last night. I haven't seen her since she left and I doubt I'll ever see her again."

Harry considered lying and saying that he hadn't been worried, but he knew Severus would see right through him, especially as he'd just seen the truth in Harry's mind. Instead, he settled for saying nothing at all.

"You apologised to me last night and I accepted it and that's the end of that," Severus went on. "I expect that one day we'll need to talk about it, but right now we have more important things to focus on – like this baby in here." He put a hand on Harry's belly. "So, do you think we can carry on?" he asked. "Put all this behind us and just carry on? I promise I won't ignore the subject of marriage when you next bring it up. Just…give me some time, OK?"

Harry pulled away from Severus and smiled. "I can do that," he said.

"Good." Severus placed a kiss to the top of his head. "Now, let's go and eat breakfast before it gets cold."

* * *

After breakfast had been eaten and they had both showered and dressed, Severus placed a spell on Harry so that his pregnancy bump wouldn't be visible to muggle eyes. Before Harry had a chance to ask any questions, Severus had grabbed his arm and apparated them out of the house.

They reappeared in what looked to be a small woodland area. Birds twittered away happily up in the trees and Harry thought he saw a few squirrels running along the branches. High above, sunlight shone through the leaves and somewhere off in the distance was the sound of running water.

"Where are we?" asked Harry, but Severus just smiled and started walking. Glancing around, Harry followed and soon enough he saw a street up ahead. As he grew closer, he realised that they were in a neighbourhood – a muggle one, if the garages were anything to go by. He stepped out onto the pavement and looked around.

Now that they were out of the trees, Harry had a proper view of the area. Large houses on each side of the road were surrounded by trees, providing each property with enough privacy, but not so much that they were secluded and left in the dark. Shiny cars sat in driveways, glinting in the rare February sun. All around, the gardens were trimmed to perfection, the flowers closed for winter but getting ready to bloom.

"Where are we?" Harry asked again as Severus began to make his way down the road.

"Springwater Lane," he said, "Named so for the stream that flows through the woods behind these houses;" he nodded to the houses on their right-hand side.

"We are still in England, aren't we? I mean, you haven't apparated us out of the Country illegally or anything, have you?"

"Of course I haven't," he said, amused. "We're in Cheshire. Ah, here we are."

He came to a halt outside a large modern house. It was surrounded by a fair amount of trees just like the others had been, although the sun still managed to shine and bounce off the windows. A fancy black gate opened onto a gravel driveway which led to a double garage attached to the side of the house. Although no flowers were growing in the garden, the grass had been cut meticulously short.

"Nice," Harry said, looking around in appreciation. "Are we visiting someone?"

"No," said Severus. He turned to look at Harry. "If you like it, it's ours."

Harry's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. "What? Are you serious? This house, this _huge_ house?"

Severus smiled and held up a key. "Would you like to look around? It has a swimming pool."

Harry beamed, speechless.

Chuckling to himself, Severus made his way up the driveway towards the front door. As Harry followed on, gravel crunching nicely underfoot, his eyes darted to everything in sight. This was amazing but it was too much – they'd been arguing like crazy yesterday and now Severus was presenting him with a house! OK, so he _loved_ the little balcony over the front porch, and he _loved_ how huge the garden was and how _impressive_ the driveway was and the _gate_, and the _walls_, and the _trees_, and the very _material_ the house was made out of and he couldn't _wait_ to see the _swimming pool_ and…what was his point again? Oh yeah, he didn't deserve this, he totally didn't deserve this…

"When did you do this?" Harry asked, finding his voice. "How did you get the key?"

"I had to use a bit of magic on the woman in the office," he told him. "It was a muggle Estate Agent, but I did some research and there are actually quite a few wizarding families living near by. And as for when…I _was_ out for a pretty long time last night."

"You did this last night? But everywhere would have been closed."

"Again, a little magic goes a long way." He grinned and stopped at the door. "You ready?"

Harry fell in love with the house instantly. Four bedrooms (one of which was en-suite), three bathrooms, two living areas, a kitchen, and a dining room; it was his perfect – if somewhat expensive – family home he'd been looking for. He'd turned into an excitable child when he'd seen the size of the back garden and the pool! He could just imagine himself teaching his child to swim, or else having a picnic on one of the lazy days of summer. They could do the gardening together and hold barbeques and have water fights…Oh! Maybe they could get a pet dog! They could call it Bonny!

After his third tour of the house, Harry had decided that this was it, this was where he wanted to live. Severus informed him that there were nice muggle Primary Schools just a bus ride away, that there was great shops, great restaurants, great parks – everything! It was perfect. The only thing it lacked was a basement for Severus's potions lab, but when Harry had pointed this out his lover had waved it aside and said that the garage was more than enough space and, since neither of them knew how to drive, that would do him nicely.

"This place is incredible," said Harry with a wistful sigh, "But are you sure we can afford it?"

"We went through this months ago," Severus reminded him. "And besides, the exchange rate is fantastic when converting the wizarding Galleon into muggle Pound."

"I'll take you're word for it," Harry said. "But how did you find this place? We looked for ages and didn't get anywhere."

"We were looking in the wrong places," he said. "We were looking in the wizarding brochures because we wanted somewhere with a dungeon. But last night when I saw a picture of this house in a window, I realised that a muggle garage would work just the same – not to mention be a lot cheaper. And I know we initially stopped looking because we didn't want to move house too far into the pregnancy, but the fact still remains that we can't bring a baby up in a one bedroom house. And I'm sure you can get some of your friends to help with the decorating so you don't overdo yourself." He crossed his arms and looked expectantly at Harry. "So, what do you think?"

Harry stood in the middle of the empty living room and looked out into the garden. He wanted it, he really did. But perhaps it would be wise if they went for somewhere less extravagant. Even after paying for the house, they would still be left with a large sum of money but…food, clothes, furniture, bills – it would all add up and sooner of later one of them would need to get a steady job.

As if he knew exactly what Harry was thinking, Severus came over to him. "I figured it all out last night. It was only a rough estimate, but we should be able to last up to six years with the money we've got. I'll be working at Hogwarts again before that time and my salary, once put through the exchange rate, will be more than enough to let us live comfortably." He bent down and kissed Harry fondly on the mouth. "I told you, money isn't an issue. So?" Severus looked at him eagerly.

"Well, in that case…let's do it. Let's buy a house together."

* * *

Even though he'd promised Severus that he wouldn't overdo himself, Harry couldn't help but get excited whenever they went shopping for new furniture. He hadn't realised that there was so much they would need – if it hadn't have been for Severus, he would have been at a complete loss for what to buy. Nonetheless, that didn't stop him from picking up random items whenever he came across them – who would have thought that a bunch of squiggly lines would be considered art? Or that a big, fat boulder would be considered a sculpture? Still, he just had to have them!

Choosing the colour scheme of each room had been the hardest task of all. They'd bickered endlessly over the wallpaper and carpets. Whilst Severus had wanted to keep the grey and dusty-green look from their old home, Harry had insisted that it was time for a change – a new home, a new beginning. Harry wanted light colours downstairs; the sun shone so brilliantly through the windows that it would be a shame to spoil it with dark colours. In the end, it had taken Harry three blowjobs to make Severus see sense.

The stress and excitement of moving house was a definite blessing. He and Severus were getting on so well again and the flame of passion between the two had been rekindled. The desire to get married was still there and he knew that it would never go away, but losing Severus, and then being forgiven by him, had made him realise that he had never been happier.

Things with Sirius weren't any better and he'd decided that he would have to do something about that. Although Harry had finally seen in his godfather what Severus had been able to see for years, he still felt the hole caused by his absence. Harry had been in contact with Remus, who had told him that Sirius missed him dearly and that he was sorry for the way he had behaved. Harry knew that if they were ever to get along again then they would need to have a serious talk. He fully intended to go and pay him a visit, but for now he wanted to enjoy what he had.

Towards the end of February, Ron and Hermione came back from their honeymoon and with their help the basic decorating was soon finished. One month after purchasing the house on Springwater Lane, Harry and Severus were finally ready to move in.

"Where'd you want this going?" asked Ron, who was currently holding a box marked 'kitchen'.

Harry laughed at the look on Ron's face as he received an annoyed glare from Severus.

"I was just kidding," Ron muttered, "God…he takes everything so seriously…"

"Are you sure I can't help with anything?" Harry asked, once Severus had returned to unloading the van. His lover, ever the cautious man, had decided that the muggle way was the best way to do this. Even though most of the items in the house had already been floo'd in, or else shrunk down in size and carried in, Severus had insisted that they at least _look_ like they were doing something – they didn't want their neighbours to get suspicious about the lack of furniture being moved and first impressions were everything. Since they had purchased the furniture in their old home fairly recently, it had seemed a waste of money to throw it all out and so it was these belongings that they had loaded into the back of the van, to be driven up by Hermione's father who had generously agreed to help them with their 'ploy'. Their old bedroom furniture would be going in one of the spare rooms and the living room stuff would be going in the smaller sitting room at the back, overlooking the garden.

"No," said Severus, pulling down a few more boxes. "You just sit there and look pretty."

"I'm not just a pretty face, you know," Harry complained from the sofa which was currently sat in the driveway. "I do have skills and stuff."

"Oh, I know," smirked Severus.

"Know what?" Ron asked, joining Harry.

"Nothing," Harry muttered with a blush.

Ron chuckled. "You guys never stop, do you?"

"So," said Harry, casting around for a change of subject, "How's married life treating you?"

"It's good, yeah," he said, nodding. "It's a bit weird when we get a letter in the post addressed to 'Mrs. Weasley' though. I keep thinking to give them to my mum but then I remember that I'm married."

That sounded like typical Ron, thought Harry. "Surely it's not that hard to forget?" he said.

"Well, it's no different to _not_ being married really. I mean, apart from the name change and the ring on my finger. Oh, and the _huge_ dent the wedding left in our parents pockets. But…I love her and it just seemed to be the thing to do really. Although, to tell you the truth, I'm dreading the moment she says she's ready to have children. I mean, she says it's gonna be a few years yet but _boy_, am I dreading that! No offence," he added, looking down at Harry's stomach.

"None taken," he smiled.

"So, do you know if it's a – "

"Oi! Ron!" Hermione's voice rang out. "Less chatting and more lifting."

"Yes dear," he said with a sigh. He moved to get up but when his wife disappeared inside the house, he sat back down again.

"As I was saying, do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"

"Not yet. Severus wanted to know but I preferred to wait."

"Does it, like, kick and move and stuff?"

"Yup," said Harry. "It's kicking now if you want to feel."

Ron looked a little nervous at the idea, but he leaned forwards and placed his palm on Harry's large belly. When he felt the baby kicked, he pulled his hand away quickly. Harry laughed.

"That's well weird!" Ron said, staring wide-eyed at Harry. "I'd be so freaked out if there was something kicking the inside of me! Doesn't it hurt?"

"It does after a while," he admitted, "But it's more of an ache."

"Weasley!" Severus's voice shouted. Harry and Ron looked up from the sofa.

"Give me a hand with carrying this to the house," he said, pulling their old bed to the edge of the van.

"I'm not touching that. You've had sex on that!"

"It's not just the bed we've had sex on," Harry said with a grin. "We did it on this sofa too."

Ron jumped up so fast that anyone would have thought he'd been electrocuted. He bumped right into Hermione, knocking her to the ground. Harry just sat where he was and laughed, watching the two of them struggling to get up.

"Harry," said Severus in exasperation, "Please do behave."

Harry smirked. "If I don't, will you punish me?"

"Right, that's it!" said Ron, "I'm out of here!"

* * *

At last, at long last, the moving was finished and Harry and Severus were able to relax for the first time in their new home. Even though their tastes had clashed numerous times, they were both more than happy with the end results.

The main living room was a homely blend of reds, whites, and light browns. It was very warm and welcoming, with the pine cabinets and tables, white walls and cream sofas, and the large red patterned rug that covered most of the wooden floor.

The kitchen was the typical fitted kitchen with all its pine cupboards and modern appliances. It was a room that focused on the more lighter colours, unlike the dining room, which was much more formal and elegant with dark rosewood chairs, cabinets, and table and cream carpets, cushions, and curtains.

Upstairs, they had two spare rooms – one with their old things in and one with new – as well as the nursery for the baby. They had chosen a light green and yellow wallpaper for this room, with a ducklings pictured on the border. The cuddly white owl Severus had bought months ago was already sat in the corner of the cot, waiting to become the baby's chew toy.

But Harry's favourite room was the bedroom he shared with Severus. A rich combination of blacks, whites, and golds, the room oozed seduction

It was in this room that the happy couple could now be found celebrating.

Harry's lips planted a trail of soft kisses down the side of Severus's neck, his fingers brushing ever so gently over a peaked nipple. He felt himself grow hard and he wriggled his hips, hating that his belly restricted the contact between them. He whined against Severus's skin, wanting more, and was rewarded when his lover turned his head and captured Harry's lips with his own.

Out of all the things to do with a lover, kissing was Harry's favourite. To him it seemed a more intimate act than sex itself as it required so much love and care to be just perfect. He moaned when he felt a warm tongue brush over his lips and as he opened his mouth, his hand moved to tighten in Severus's long hair, pulling him closer, never wanting it to end. He lay on his back, gladly letting Severus take charge. Harry stroked his tongue against Severus's and another deep moan escaped from the back of his throat.

He couldn't get enough of this. Those lips…so sweet, so gentle. And when that hand slid down his stomach and took hold of his cock…God, it was heaven. But just has Harry's body began to arch off the bed, Severus pulled back and Harry almost sobbed at the loss. However, those lips quickly busied themselves with other things and Harry was back in paradise again as Severus's mouth brushed lightly across his jaw, down his neck, his shoulders, his heaving chest, his stomach. Harry's hands fisted in the mans hair and he couldn't help but push Severus in the direction he so needed him to go. He heard a deep chuckle but then those lips descended and Harry saw stars.

* * *

Life at number 22 Springwater Lane was everything Harry had imagined it to be. Each morning, he and Severus would take turns cooking breakfast before getting ready for a nice, relaxing stroll in the woods. After their walk they would return home, where Severus would prepare a few sandwiches for lunch. Harry would then settle himself in front of the television for a couple of hours and Severus would work on his book. It was usually at this time that their new neighbours would knock on the door to welcome them to the area.

Harry had thought this a really thoughtful gesture, but Severus had insisted that they only did it in order to take a peek inside the house. Still, Harry had delighted in the introductions and, in an unwise move, Severus had left it up to him to come up with plausible stories for what they both did for a living – Severus was a novelist who published his books under a different name, and Harry was a gardener. Their hobbies included football, camping, and hiking. Harry was a great cook and loved to play in the amateur band he and his friends had set up. Severus was a great surfer and liked to breed fish.

Over all, their first month in their new home had been enjoyable. All the people they had spoken to had seemed really nice and most of them hadn't even batted an eyelid on learning their new neighbours were gay, (apparently there was a lesbian couple living a few houses down), so Harry had made sure to inform them all about the baby that was on the way, via surrogacy of course. The pregnant Mrs. Everingham from across the street had already made plans for their children to be best friends and had recommended some of the best schools and colleges in the area.

As the weeks went on, and the arrival of the baby drew closer, his friends and neighbours started bombarding him with gifts. By the end of April he had received so much stuff that Severus had had to go out and buy another chest of drawers to store it all in. Teddies, toys, clothes, bottles – they had thought of everything; even Dumbledore had stopped by to drop off bright purple and yellow bobble hats and mittens. Mrs. Snape also paid them a visit, bringing with her more hand-knitted accessories, and by the time Harry's due date finally rolled around, he was more than ready to welcome his baby to the world; he'd had enough of his food cravings for jam and butter and he'd definitely had enough of his wild hormones. All he wanted to do was sit and hold his baby in his arms.

Unfortunately though, his due date came and went and with it went Harry's sanity. Whereas before he had been thinking about what a joy it would be to finally have his baby, his mind was now stuck on one thing – the birth.

He'd taken to sitting in the baby's room, rocking back and forth in the chair and flicking through all the books he had obtained on male pregnancy. With each page he turned, and with each unpleasant picture he saw, his nerves would flare. Did people honestly expect him to do _that?_ And was he really supposed to stay in pain for _that_ long?

A few days in to Harry's mood, he'd started having a go at Severus, snapping at him for every little thing. Did the man have to eat so _loud?_ Did he have to keep everything so damn _clean?_ Harry's skin had begun to crawl whenever the man touched him and it bugged the hell out of him when Severus kissed him goodnight.

By the end of the week, they were both sleeping in separate rooms and Severus was spending as much time out of the house as possible, something which annoyed Harry to no end – Didn't the stupid man know that Harry _needed_ him there? Who else was supposed to make him his dinner? Didn't Snape _care_ about him?

Poor Severus just couldn't win.

* * *

Harry bid good evening to Mrs. Everingham and closed the door. That was the fourth time she'd been round in just as many days. She was a lovely person, very happy and animated, but Harry suspected she was lonely. Her husband Conner worked in advertising and was hardly ever home and her eldest son, Robert, had just gone off to University. She also had a daughter, Megan, and another son, Maxwell, but they were forever at their friends' homes.

Harry enjoyed her company very much but, at nine months pregnant, he was finding it extremely difficult to get around the house and having a muggle present didn't help matters – even though she couldn't see his bump, he had to do try to do things like walk without a waddle and sit down without taking his time.

He put the latch on the door and returned to the living room, fully intent on leaving a pile of chocolate wrappers all over the floor for Severus to clean up later on. He'd only just sat down when the doorbell rang. Grumbling to himself, he got up and made his way back into the hall.

He opened the door and came face to face with the last person he'd expected to see.

"Sirius?"

All grudging thoughts about how to make Severus's life hell were quickly torn from his mind as he looked out at his godfather. He was stood outside in the gentle rain, casually dressed in jeans and a jacket. His long, wet hair was tied back in a ponytail with a few stray strands falling down to frame his haggard face. He smiled nervously at Harry and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Hi," he said. "Remus told me you'd moved. I asked Ron for the address…I hope you don't mind." He looked up at Harry and when it became apparent that he wasn't going to respond, he asked, "May I come in?"

Automatically, Harry stood aside and let Sirius through.

It had been three months since they had last seen each other; three months since he'd punched his godfather in the face. He honestly hadn't meant to leave things so long, but somehow the whole issue had just slipped his mind.

He closed the door and led the way into the living room.

"Drink?" Harry offered.

"No thank you," he said. "I have something that needs to be said and I don't want anything to get in the way of that."

Harry bit his lip and nodded, seating himself down on the sofa. Sirius sat opposite.

"You look good," he said, smiling at Harry. "Isn't the baby due soon?"

"A week ago," he told him shortly. "It's late."

"So any day now. You must be excited."

Harry grunted. "I'm mostly scared actually," he admitted. Sirius went to say something but Harry jumped straight to it; "So why are you here?"

Sirius looked down at his knees. His hands were in his lap and he kept fidgeting nervously. "To say sorry," he said.

"Sirius –"

"No," he stopped him, "I need to say this."

Harry nodded and waited.

"I'm not very good at apologising," he started slowly. "I don't tend to do it that often. It's something I like to avoid." He fell quiet again and Harry waited calmly.

"I know I was out of line when I said those things about Snape," he said. "I just didn't understand. I didn't trust him with you. After hearing that he'd slept with you at school, my opinion of him went way down…further than it had already been. And when you thought that it was over between you both…when you thought that that was it, the end…that Snape had left you…I wanted to say 'I told you so.' It didn't matter to me that you loved him, just as long as you were away from him."

He paused and looked up.

"So what changed?" Harry asked.

"I imagined my life without Remus," he said. "Remus, who I love so much; Remus, whom I'm trying to have a baby with. And that's when I realised how you must have felt when you thought you'd lost Snape. That emptiness…that sheer panic. It was terrifying." He broke off again and looked directly at Harry. "You mean a hell of a lot to me. I've said some stupid things – some _terrible_ things – and I'm so sorry. You obviously know Snape better than I do so it should be enough for me that you trust him. And I'm happy for you. What do you say? Can we be friends again? But before you answer," he added quickly, "You should know that I'm not saying I'll be nice to Snape – my issues with him are something else entirely. But I will accept that you both love each other. I'll respect your relationship." He finished and took a deep breath. "So?"

Harry looked over at his godfather, already knowing his answer. He appreciated that it had taken a lot for him to say all that, but it still remained that he shouldn't have been so quick to judge in the first place.

"The things you said really hurt me," he told him. "Telling me that Severus was using me, calling my child the spawn of the devil…"

"I am so sorry –"

"But I'm willing to let all that go if you can just make an effort. I know you'll never get along with him…but please just try. For me? No more negative talk about our relationship. And you can't make any snide comments about him either. You have to try to be…if not friendly, then polite. Civil."

Sirius was nodding. "I can do that," he said. "I can do civil."

For a moment they just sat and looked at each other. Even though Harry was relieved to have Sirius back in his life, the things he had said wouldn't be forgotten. But for now, however, he was willing to let it go; he had faith in Sirius – the man looked so pleased to have his godson back that it was hard not to.

"So," Sirius said cheerfully, "Can I have a hug now?"

Harry smiled brightly and started to struggle to his feet. Laughing, Sirius went over and helped him up.

"It's so good to be talking to you again," Harry said, hugging his godfather. "And I'm sorry about the punch."

"Don't worry about it," he said with amusement. "I deserved it." After a while, he let Harry go and looked about the room. Harry could see curiosity dancing in his eyes.

"You want to go snooping around, don't you?" Harry guessed, smiling up at him.

"Can I?"

"Go on," he said. "I'll go make us some sandwiches."

Laughing to himself and thinking about how nice it was to have Sirius Black around again, Harry waddled into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. They'd had chicken for dinner last night so there was some left over, ready to be eaten. He grabbed the plate and set it on the side just as Sirius's voice rang through the house; "How big is your bathroom! Bloody hell!"

That set Harry off chuckling again and he made to fetch the bread. But as he reached out, he felt something strange and a second later a gush of fluid was running down his leg, soaking his trousers.

For a whole minute he just stood there, staring down at the floor. Images of Severus flashed through his mind and he put a hand on his stomach.

"Shit," he muttered.

Even though he wanted his baby more than anything, this was the moment he'd been dreading for days. The very thought of giving birth had been enough to wind him up so much that he'd managed to wage his own little vendetta against Severus all week; so much so that Severus actually preferred going food shopping to being in the house with Harry.

Even though there wasn't any pain, he felt himself begin to tremble. Surely he could do this? He had to! He'd faced down a Dark Lord for crying out loud – surely child birth would be a walk in the park after that! Right?

"Sirius?" he called out. "Could you come here for a minute?"

He heard footfalls on the stairs and a few seconds later, Sirius appeared in the kitchen. When he noticed the wet patch on Harry's jeans, he stopped in the doorway and his eyes bulged.

"Oh my God," he breathed. "Oh my God! Is it happening? Are you OK? What should I do? Does it hurt?"

"Sirius, its fine," he assured him. "My water just broke, that's all."

"What do you mean, 'that's all'? Are you in labour? Have you had any contractions?"

"Just because my water broke doesn't mean I'm about to go into labour," he told him, trying to remember back to what he'd read in the books. "I could have hours yet. Sometimes it takes people days before they feel anything."

"Yeah, and sometimes it doesn't! We need to get you to the hospital."

"Not without Severus."

"Harry, you need to be seen to! A contraction could be just around the corner!"

"And if it is, I'll just deal with it! Sirius, just go and get him!"

"Harry –"

"Sirius!"

"Fine!" he shouted. "Where is he?"

"He's at the supermarket. It's near –" But before Harry could finish giving him directions, Sirius disapparated.

* * *

In the Maternity Ward of St. Mungo's, Severus Snape made his way into the waiting room. A lot of people looked up as he entered but he ignored them and made his over to the reception desk. Behind him were Harry Potter, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin. Amid stares, the three of them took their seats in a secluded corner.

As Severus waited in the small queue, he felt excitement bubbling up inside him. It was hard to believe that there had once been a time where he had never wanted to become a father. The thought of raising a child and providing a loving home for it had once been a nightmare. But then along came Harry and, _God_, how everything had changed. Feelings had been awoken in him that he hadn't even known existed.

Harry's behaviour of late had been very trying, but he didn't hold it against him for second. In fact, he'd been rather amused at Harry's incessant whining. And now here they were, about to have their lives changed forever…

And Harry was coping with it all so well so far. From the moment Severus had returned home with Black, there hadn't been a word of complaint from those precious lips.

"Can I help you, Sir?" a woman at the desk asked, smiling up at him.

"Yes," he said. "I'm here with my partner, Harry Potter. His water has just broken."

"How long ago did it happen?"

"Twenty minutes ago," he informed her.

"Ok," she said, checking a file on her desk. "I believe he's a week late, right?"

"That would be correct, yes."

"And have his contractions started yet?"

"No," said Severus, but, of course, Harry choose that exact moment to voice his discomfort.

"Son of a _bitch_, that _fucking_ hurts! _Christ!_ Fucking hell!"

"Actually, yes," he amended, "I believe they have."

After the witch had checked Harry in, Severus turned to make his way across the room. As he went, he noticed that pretty much every head in the room was turned to in Harry's direction, scandalised looks on all their faces. Next to Harry, in fits of giggles, were Black and Lupin.

Severus smirked and took his seat.

* * *

"OK, Harry, I need you to push. On three, OK? One, two, three!"

Harry's scream rent the air and his grip on Severus's hand tightened painfully. Beads of sweat trickled down his brow as he sat up, pushing with all his might. Tears were leaking from behind his closed eyes and he was red in the face from all the effort he'd been putting in. He finished pushing and fell back against the bed, sobbing and panting for breath before doing it all over again. And all the while, Severus's head was spinning.

It had been 8 hours since the first contraction and it had been nothing but torture for Severus. Watching Harry experiencing so much pain was possibly the worst thing he had ever had to do. He'd felt so useless at not being able to do anything and so guilty at the thought that Harry was still so young (a feeling he had thought he'd quashed months ago, but apparently not.) The only thing that had kept him sane was knowing that they would have a beautiful baby at the end – the _only_ baby they would have, as there was _no way_ he was letting Harry go through this ever again!

"You're doing great, Harry," said the witch, "You're almost there. I just need to give one more push, OK? One great big push."

Severus felt nails dig into the back of his hand but he ignored it and tightened his hold around Harry's shoulders. He placed a kiss to the top of his messy head and closed his eyes as Harry put all his energy into one last push. They then snapped open at the sound of a crying baby.

Harry sagged against him as he fell back, exhausted beyond anything. He looked down at Harry and saw that he was smiling. Severus smiled right back and kissed his sweaty forehead.

"I love you so much, you know that?" he said, sweeping his hand through Harry's hair. "So very much."

"I know," Harry replied weakly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

They both looked up as the witch approached them. In her arms she carried a tiny, crying baby wrapped in a soft blue blanket. She smiled warmly down at them and held out her arms.

"Would you like to hold your son?"

Harry starred with wide eyes at the baby in wonder. He looked at Severus and bit his lip.

"Go on," Severus said kindly.

Harry shook his head. "You go first," he said. "Please."

Smiling softly, he stood up and as his son was placed carefully in his arms, Severus knew that nothing would ever compare to that moment.

* * *

The next day had been almost as exhausting as the one before. Word of Harry's delivery had spread like wild fire and it hadn't taken long for the hordes of red-headed Weasley's and doting friends to come pouring in. The room quickly filled up with flowers, balloons, and cards and everyone was soon cooing over how cute the baby was and how happy Harry and Severus's lives were going to be. Everyone from the Weasley twins to Albus Dumbledore had offered themselves up as babysitters and Molly Weasley was already planning on knitting the baby some special Weasley jumpers. Harry and Severus took it all in their stride, politely thanking each of them for visiting.

The day after that, the healers at St. Mungo's allowed them to return home where again they had been treated to a steady flow of visitors. It had taken some time for Harry and Severus to get into a routine but by the end of the first week they had everything under control.

Apart from Harry, Tristan James Snape was the best thing that had ever happened to Severus. He didn't care about the sleepless nights or the 3am feeds. He didn't care that he had to change dirty nappies or that the house suddenly smelt like baby sick. He didn't even care about all the screaming and the crying. He, Severus Snape, had a son and he was the most wonderful, precious little thing he had ever laid eyes on.

Sometimes he would just sit and watch Tristan sleeping, not being able to believe that he was a father. And at other times he would watch Harry and it would occur to him just how happy he actually was. He _loved_ his life and he loved the people in it. He hadn't been able to imagine his life with a lover and a child but now that he had both, he couldn't imagine his life without them – he didn't _want_ to.

Holding his son for the first time had given life new meaning. Himself, Harry, Tristan – they were a family, _his_ family. Severus had a proper family.

* * *

Severus entered the living room and smiled when he saw Harry on the sofa. Cradled in his arms was their son who was gently suckling on the bottle Harry was holding.

"Hey," Harry said softly, looking up. "I didn't hear you come in." He lifted his head to receive a kiss Severus placed on his lips.

"How is he?" he asked, taking a seat.

"Wonderful," he replied. "I can't get over how tiny he is, and how beautiful."

"Of course he's beautiful. He has your genes."

"And yours," Harry smiled. "He has your eyes."

"Yes, well," he said, looking into the baby's face, "They're likely to change."

"I know," said Harry. "But I don't think they will. They're gorgeous just the way they are."

They both fell into a comfortable silence as they watched Tristan feed. Severus didn't think he'd ever seen something so delicate. It really was a wonder to him. He felt awed.

"I'm sorry about that whole marriage thing," Harry said suddenly.

"You've apologised quite enough already," Severus said. "I told you, it doesn't matter."

"But it does to me," Harry insisted. "I look at Tristan and I can't believe what I did, what I put you through. I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you. Having a baby puts everything into perspective. If we had broken up because of all that, because me…Severus, I don't know what I would have done."

Severus smiled softly and put a hand around Harry's shoulder. "But we didn't break up, did we? We're still here, aren't we?"

"Yeah," Harry smiled. "And that's what matters isn't it? That we're happy and that we're together." He paused his words and looked down at his son. "I don't need marriage," he said. "I don't _want_ marriage. Everything's perfect just the way it is."

Tristan fed for a few more seconds before he started to fuss. Harry pulled the bottle away and set it on the floor.

"Can you pass me that towel please?" he asked, nodding towards the table and he watched as Severus got up to retrieve it.

But what Harry didn't see was Severus putting an engagement ring back into his pocket.

_**The End**_

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* * *

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**A/N:** Ok, first of all - Sorry if any random bits worked there way into that chapter. I uploaded it just now and found pieces of a totally different story in it and I have no idea at all where they came from. Secondly - Sorry if the line breaks don't work. My friend has been having trouble getting them to work for her recently. If they dont work, I'll re-upload it later on.

Thank you all so very very much for all your reviews on this fic! I know the updates have been slow and I know how annoying that can be. So thanks for bearing with me on that.

Ok, so on to the sequel. Quite a few of you have been messaging me, asking for a summary of it. I always planned to have three parts to this (although the plot ideas for part 3 changed almost constantly.) The plot I finally chose for part 3 actually started out as a new fic altogther but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed to mould into this one, hence the reason for that evil cliffhanger (sorry about that!). Anyways, I don't want to give the full summary out just yet but I can tell you that it involves more of Sirius and Remus and their desire to have a baby which is something that gets in the way of Harry and Severus's relationship. And, of course, it will continue from that cliffy I just left you with!

Anyway, its getting really late now. Its 4:08am! I made the mistake of having a lie-in this morning and now my sleeping pattern has suffered once more. Oh well. Thats life. I also have really bad toothache lol.

Thanks again for the reviews! xxx


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